


Eye of the Storm

by KarasuNei



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Nudity, Siren!Jack, Slow Burn, Smut, Some Humor, Sorcerer!Gabriel, Suggestive Themes, fantasy!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-01-26 14:19:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12559276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarasuNei/pseuds/KarasuNei
Summary: "Just how far would you go for something you love, but couldn't have?"A story about an unfortunate siren, fallen for the one who would never give in to his songs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes, I'm alive (Or am I?)  
> But here's another AU for my absence <3 This story will be a two-parter, and hopefully will be done by Halloween :*
> 
> Thank you so much [misbehavingvigilante!!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/misbehavingvigilante/pseuds/misbehavingvigilante) for cheering me on and watching me work with this crazy idea of mine ahahahahahahahahahaha~
> 
> Happy Samhain everyone :DDDDD

* * *

 

It was a cold autumn night. Moonlight shimmered above dark waves, peppering star reflections blurred upon disturbed water. There was no telling where the ocean met the sky, no telling what might be lurking below the surface. It was cold in this secluded cove, made more ominous with the sound of water slithering up coarse sand. Surrounded by jagged edges and treacherous rocks, this place was untouched by man.

 

Well, almost.

 

Upon a slab of rock stretched into the waves, a dark figure perched. Coat billowed in the wind, the single burning dot of his cigarette was an eerie accentuation in the night. Tall and imposing, the whipping smoke surrounded him was like a scattering veil, making his stature even darker than the blackest night. Crimson eyes watched the sea, waiting for just the right shift…

 

“You’re late.”

 

Gabriel Reyes spoke even before the creature surfaced, disgruntled and impatient, just as he ever was. Arching upon the stone, the creature let water cascaded down his glistening body, before rising to the same height as the man. Glassy eyes peered back, but Gabriel was unfazed. They had seen each other too many times to be awed at one another’s presence anymore.

 

Silver was his hair, ever-shifting to a pearlescent blue even in the dimmest of light. It was braided and woven around his curved, carved horns, adorned with thousand-year-old gold and sea-polished gems, an illusion of a strange halo. His skin was just as pale, faintly veined like the most precious of china, with freckles of scale under his large eyes, fanning pleasantly down the tall column of his neck. His strong chest was decorated with corals, framing a single, gleaming pearl that was as big as a man’s fist. His waist was trimmed, tightly coiled with elusive power. A gradual shift from man to sea creature started there, with fanning pelvic fins and luminescent spines that were more wicked than the sharpest spears. A pair of wings sprouted further down his back, marbled with lapis, ice and gold, resting against his slick body. Flowing fins were of the same colours, yet unlike his well-looked after wings, they were tattered with age and worn with use.

 

Jack was a sight to behold, a beauty that would make men throw all their cautions out the window. Exotic, mysterious with just a drop of hidden danger, he was mesmerising even without speaking a word.

 

He wasn’t a _siren_ for nothing.

 

“Hello, _Gabriel_.” He rolled the sorcerer’s name on the tip of his tongue, a melodic echo of the ocean that was both whimsical and seductive, “I’ve been looking forward to this all year long.”

 

“Have you now?” Gabriel purred. _Two can play that game_. “And here I thought you have forgotten.”

 

A webbed hand upon his glistening breast, the siren feigned shock, “How sensitive! You know I wouldn’t miss today for the world.”

 

An early _trick-or-treat_ , or so Gabriel had jokingly called it once. So far, Jack had never tricked him, but somehow Gabriel always felt like he needed to butter the siren up to get what he wanted. No matter how willing Jack could be, it was never too excessive to be careful. Gabriel didn’t want to risk his advantages for some time that he had an endless _supply_ of.

 

“I wouldn’t know. Seeing how you are never quite on time.”

 

“Ah, but unlike you, I can’t just teleport around at a blink of the eye.” Long, swishing tail circled Gabriel’s feet as Jack drew himself closer, smirking, “I do actually have to travel for you, and the sea is a vast, terrible place to venture alone.”

 

“Is it now?” Gabriel huffed, ignoring arms crossing behind his neck, “If you so looking forward to this, then perhaps you can plan your journey better next time.”

 

Jack was so close now, the sorcerer could feel rather than hear the whispers upon his skin, “Perhaps you could plan the next journey for me.”

 

The spell broken, Gabriel stepped out of Jack’s coil, earning him a disappointed noise, high-pitched and sharp like a petulant child’s, “Nice try. But it isn’t anything I haven’t seen. Or heard.”

 

“You never play fair!”

 

 _Of course, it is always but a game_. “You know what I want, Jack. Let’s get this over with.”

 

“And you know what _I_ want, but you never give me any!” Scaled tail smacked against the rock in frustration, “Has my service not been enough? Has any of my prediction gone wrong? Have I ever lied to you???”

 

Gabriel’s brows furrowed into a perfect, stubborn line, “...No. But that’s beside the point.”

 

Spines rising in his ire, Jack’s thin lips pulled back into a sneer. The glint of pearl-white fangs was a clear reminder of what he was capable of, “Point? What _point?_ Stop dancing around the subject and answer me! What more can I possibly do to make you trust me???”

 

Calmly, Gabriel stubbed out the cigarette under his boots, and puffed out one last haze of smoke, “Don’t play dumb.I have told you numerous times.” He suddenly got right at Jack’s face, keeping the surprised hitch of breath out of his mind, and tapped under the siren’s chin, “Meddling with an Old World creature is dangerous, and I believe I have stepped way too far from the line already. Don’t kid yourself, _sweetheart_ . There are far easier, more willing _preys_ for you out there. I ain’t dumb, and neither are you. I entertain you, and you provide me with what I want to hear. Simple as that.”

 

For a second there, he could have sworn Jack was going to strangle him. The cold silver of his eyes gleamed, his tail lashed in agitation. Chest puffed up, it was evident the siren was doing all he could to calm down. Turning his back at the sorcerer, Jack’s voice was sour, a dirge compared to his usual melodic tone, “As always, acquaintances will cross your paths. Tread carefully, or you might incur their wrath.”

 

And he slung back into the dark water without even a splash, before Gabriel’s mutters “I could have told myself that” escaped. Jack was gone, as if he was never there in the first place. A frown marred the sorcerer’s features, watching the shifting waves for a moment longer before departing himself.

 

Gabriel never knew the siren was splitting the ocean with furious slices of his fins, silver eyes aglow in the night.

 

It was time for the game to end.

 

~*~*****~*~

 

The circumstances of their meeting was just a strange as their relationship. Even though it happened nearly a thousand years ago, Jack still remembered the day as clearly as if it just happened yesterday.

 

Gabriel was a lot colder then. A lot more sure of himself and a lot less guarded. His arrogance was collected and cool, and he was a lot more brazen... _ruder_ with his words. The immortal sorcerer had an eye for the finer, rarer things in life, objects of great value and even greater power. A collector of magical artifacts, it was but a matter of time before he winded up in one of Jack’s underwater caverns, searching for a knickknack or two in Jack’s aged trove. A scavenger by blood, the siren himself had no use for such objects. Rather, they were a collection, reminders of the places he travelled and those whom he met (or ate. Same thing.) The network of his lair was intricate and confusing, even to his long lost brothers and sisters when they visited in the old days. With the water’s corrosion and his magic, Jack had shaped the place since he was old enough to leave his pod, and obsessively spent more time around there when the last of his kind passed. So imagine his surprise when a _human_ showed up, magical air bubble and all.

 

Jack had seen pearl divers and explorers before. Hell, he charmed plenty of those, modern folks were so much more gullible than the sailors Jack was used to back in the days. So when Gabriel just...floated into his treasure room, Jack almost forgot how to sing. Sorcerers never actively went after sirens. While either party were powerful, or _could be_ powerful, they had very little to do with each other. Sorcerers only sought out sirens when they had to do very specific tasks. And sirens only went after sorcerers, the really powerful ones, if they were desperate.

 

Even though shocked, Jack was quick to regain his senses and attacked. Only to be taken aback once more when his song didn’t work on the sorceror. Instead, his magic backfire, wrapping Jack in a torrent of water. Confused and enraged, it took the siren a few moments to break through, but the interloper was gone in those short seconds. And so was one of his items. Still, the sorcerer didn’t get far. First off, Jack’s lair wasn’t some place to navigate around easily. Secondly, two thousand years alone was a lot of spare time, and he came up with a lot of unnecessary (at the time) precautions.

 

Like that particular spell he weaved around the place so there was absolutely no displacement within the cave network. Or the illusion that made exiting the cave looking completely different from entering the place.

 

It was but a matter of minutes until Jack found the intruder’s bubble tangled in a mass of his living seaweed, swearing and struggling to escape. Jack tried to use his song again to no avail, only to make the sorcerer madder. This definitely piqued Jack’s interest, because the offender was definitely _not_ deaf. He was yelling profanities at Jack the whole time he tried to sing, loudly recited incantations and snapping at the seaweed. In vain, of course. That species absorbed trapped preys’ energy and magic faster the harder they struggled. Useful for hunting stray mermaids but, in this case, for uncouth sorcerers too. Essentially, Jack had the crude intruder in his palm.

 

Jack had always been one to...how would the landwalkers say it...butter up his meal before eating them. Sweeter that way. Struggling preys were always bitter and unsavory.

 

Once again however, the sorcerer surprised Jack. Like a boiling pit out of steam, he sat down in his magical bubble, brows drew tight in a line and eyes closed.

 

“No more attempts?” Jack remembered himself asking. He remembered Gabriel being shocked, for just a fraction of a second before his face returned to his perpetual frown, as if he didn’t think a siren could speak.

 

“No. I will stay here.” His voice rumbled like distant thunder, sure of himself and with so much insolent disdain, it amused Jack, “Struggling is futile. You will eventually have to leave your den for food. I will get myself out then.”

 

Cocky little shit huh? “Oh, but powerful as you might be, you are still human after all. You will starve before I even feel the need to feast. Besides, I might just feast on you instead.”

 

The sorcerer snorted, “Please, if you could pierce my bubble, you would have done so.” Rasping a knuckle against the translucent shell, he smirked at Jack, “Siren proof, _canary_.”

 

 _Ooooooh_...It had been ages since one dared to challenge Jack this way. If the sorcerer didn’t have Jack’s attention then, he definitely got the siren’s interest now.

 

“Besides.” Challengingly, the sorcerer flicked back his hood, and pulled a bar of something out of his many pockets, tore out the wrapper and took a huge chomp of wafer, chewing loudly on purpose, “I brought snacks.”

 

Jack couldn’t help it then. He started to laugh. Not the taunting, jerk-ish kind of laughter. It was a full-bodied laugh, ringing like the purest of bells. His fins flickered in the water as he rolled around in his mirth, feeling both ridiculous and... _freeing_ in a sense. Plus, the mixed emotions in Gabriel’s eyes then had been...rewarding to say the least.

 

Of course Jack let his captive go after, otherwise their story would have ended there. Looking back, Gabriel was too arrogant around Jack to be as guarded as now. He boasted about his immortality, his conquest for rare and powerful artifacts all over the world. That he was both a thief and a con artist, watching his own back and could stand against the whole world. Gabriel preened and flared his titles and achievements like a lionfish, tough guy as he was.

 

It was amusing, and enlightening at the same time. It was a first time in two thousand years that Jack enjoyed listening to something else rather than his own voice. And the siren let the sorcerer go, knowing that destiny would bring them together again.

 

They didn’t meet for another two centuries. Jack never forgot Gabriel and he knew the sorcerer would never forget him either. And during that time, Jack left his lair and his cold treasures, to wander the world once more. The siren had lived too long and seen too much to be naive, and while he knew there were certain things he could See, it didn’t necessarily mean it couldn’t be changed, nor should he blindly followed the whispers of his kind’s Gift.

 

And thus Jack shed his tail to walk amongst the human, to reacquaintance and shift with the world. Time had changed so much, and changed him so little. So he became more attentive to his needs, to give into the craving of company instead of stowing himself away the the dark depths of his depression, listening to the ghosts of his memory. He gave into his more primal instincts, but skirted away before the peak of consummation just to keep his head clear. After all, those brief, fleeting touches of a beguiled lover were the thing Jack could never get enough of. His company to a mortal was short, and his affection shorter.

 

The years were evanescent, but his sight was crystal now. Jack knew then he wanted to tilt Fate in his favours.

 

Jack never quite liked Samhain ever since the Celts established that event. Even if in history, his kind went down as bloodthirsty monsters, they were still gilded with myths and poetry. Most of the faes crossing over were just crude and nasty. But Jack humoured the festival this time, wandering the colder part of Northern Europe instead of hiding away in the ocean. And he waited, until an injured sorcerer, pursued by throes of angry spirits, crossed his path amidst golden wheat.

 

Gabriel didn’t recognise him at first, and when he did, there was a split second of awe in his eyes before that light was snuffed out, replaced by suspicion. Jack gave him the half truth then, shortened the time of his vision by a copious amount and making his act seemed like a throw-away charity.

 

The vision never told Jack it was going to be easy. He had no reason to not trust it.

 

They had a deal then, the sorcerer and the siren, for the later to meet the former every year, two days before Samhain, at secluded coves only Jack knew, so the siren could use his Gift to help the sorcerer avoid unfortunate incidents.

 

At first, for three hundred years, Jack kept his newfound routines. But his interests wilted down the more Gabriel was willing to converse with him. Slowly, the siren lost his desire to walk on land. Year after year, the mortals whom he knew soon passed into the unknown, just as those whom he once held dear. Before long, Gabriel was all that was left.

 

And Gabriel was _frustrating_.

 

The more willing Gabriel was to verbally fool around with the siren, the more guarded he became. The sorcerer reminded Jack of himself. A worse, more infuriating version of himself. Gabriel was Jack before the siren made the changes. He surrounded himself with materialistic things, to try and fill the void around himself. Immortal by a deal with a powerful witch, Gabriel had gone through many things that Jack had been through. The difference was...Gabriel didn’t want to accept it and move on. He was afraid of being hurt.

 

And Jack, well...Jack’s weakness had always been pride.

 

If he thought about it, perhaps this was why Gabriel still refused to trust Jack, to let him in. One thousand years later, Jack was tired of waiting.

 

So with a vision in his mind, a plan on the tip of his tongue and a fragment of guilt in the deepest part of his heart, Jack split the dark waves and towards the New World.

 

~*~*****~*~

 

The world had certainly grown louder and more crowded since Gabriel first walked down this path. Though he dislike most of the changes, the Immortal Sorcerer did find one incredibly useful: Mobilephone. Gone were the complicated communication incantations. With just a simple spell, he could secure any channel, and get any answer within seconds. Especially when one had a _tech wizard_ , in every sense of the word, as a friend such as Sombra.

 

“Is the tether secured?”

 

“ _Oi amigo, you can be a bit more polite askin’ for it!_ ”

 

Gritting his teeth under his mask, Gabriel grew impatient, “Sombra!”

 

“ _Fine, fine! It’s safe! Sheesh! Y’know, I bet if you got laid every once in awhile, you wouldn’t be such an ass. Hey, what about that siren of yours?_ ”

 

He almost smashed the screen hanging up. Even with all her usefulness, Gabriel didn’t think it was worth tolerating the witch’s mouth. Shoving the phone a bit too violently into his pocket, the sorcerer traced the lines of aged oak before him, focusing solely on his destination.

 

Teleportation would have been easier than travelling by world tethers, but if his time living with the Druids taught Gabriel anything, it meant the less personal magic used on Samhain, the less one was likely to draw attention to himself. Besides, the Aos Sí used the same method to travel on this night, what better way to pick his targets then?

 

With a sigh, Gabriel crouched, one bare hand touched the earth and the other the oak trunk, the tendril of his magic searched and woven with the current of the grove. A familiar pull whisked him away, tumbling and turning as he travelled across the world within minutes. He reappeared as he disappeared, but instead of crisp European pine woods, a burst of gradual browning  maples greeted him. Brushing an invisible speck of dust off his leather coat, Gabriel made his silent trek down to the rural Indiana town.

 

Just as the world around it, Samhain, or Halloween as it was commonly called now, had changed much. And the spirits had grown so much more cunning. Nobody was going to ask too many questions when a child, or even adults, went missing in these woods. A soulless corpse mauled by mountain lions, having no sign of human interference would just be marked down as an unfortunate incident, especially in this time of the year. A slip on winding trails could easily cause deadly _accidents_. Drunken people running amok, easily killed by convenient strokes or poisoning. So many things that could happen, so many things untraceable.

 

Gabriel had never fancied himself a righteous man. The rare few who knew him would agree. The sorcerer didn’t hunt spirits because he felt the need to stop their malice. He did this every year because of a deal, and Halloween was the best night to hunt, cliche as it might sound. Like the Aos Sí and other lesser or more powerful spirits, tonight was just more convenient for Gabriel.

 

If Gabriel Reyes was an asshole then Angela Ziegler was a bitch. Essentially, he bottled the spirits for her, exchanged them for more years added to his already lengthy life, and turned a blind eye at whatever she might be doing to those he captured. The deal was fairly simple and complicated at the same time. The number of spirits he caught would be the number of years added to his lifetime. If by the end of the day he failed to capture at least one, the remaining years from what he had accumulated would turn into hours, and he would age rapidly towards the end of his time. He could only undo this by completing his deed on the same day of the following year, IF he survived until then.

 

It sounded sketchy, but the one thing Gabriel made sure of was that Angela had no way to undo this contract. She could not take his immortality away by force. Besides, this gave Gabriel something akin to a constant thrill to his incredibly long time walking upon this earth. He hadn’t much to complain about. The lengthy planning and strategizing, the thrill of the hunt itself, the chases, the fights…

 

The meetings with Jack.

 

A displeased growl rolled deep in his chest, Gabriel brushed the thoughts away ruthlessly, directing his mind solely on the route he had planned out months upon months ago. Admittedly, he was taking a bigger risk this year than the previous few. Smaller town also meant smaller amount of spirits running rampant. It also meant it was easier to leave a followable trail for the more... _unfavourable acquaintances_ of his. While Gabriel was incredibly paranoid, he also got a knack for getting off the wrong foot with people, especially those who possessed something he liked. Extremely resourceful, Gabriel didn’t hoard everything he had just for them to collect dust in turn. Sombra could laugh about his dramatic trench coat all she wanted, but even the nosy witch didn’t know the depth of his pockets.

 

Gabriel wasn’t so much a thief as he was a grifter. While he could be brass with his words, he was unspeakably persuasive. In fact, his cocky and uncaring exterior gave those who first encountered him the impression that Gabriel was careless and tactless. This lowered their defense against him, and often time Gabriel found himself easily wiggling out the things he wanted without much thought to it. He didn’t slither out of a siren’s grip with a piece of his treasure and lived to brag about it for nothing.

 

... _Ugh_.

 

Shoving a cigarette into the mouth slit of his mask, Gabriel cursed quietly.

 

No matter what he did, _Jack_ just kept coming back, toying with his thoughts as if something was forcing mind to return to the siren. Maybe Gabriel was being melodramatic again, looking for greater meaning when there really was none to absolve himself of the blames.

 

Damn Jack. The Siren always had a habit of showing up in his thoughts unwanted.

 

Gabriel knew without question it would be something Jack would take pride in if he ever knew...It wasn’t as if he and Jack had never disagreed before, there had been plenty of arguments in the beginning of their relationship. Already with such familiarity and shameless fervor, Jack enjoyed throwing himself at Gabriel, having grown only bolder until the sorcerer ended up with a lapful of siren many times with how indulgent he had been.  Perhaps their game could have lasted if Gabriel had shown more restraint.

 

Even so, none of them left him with such a heavy heart. The fact it felt so different felt like an alarm going off in his head. Gabriel had desired, or thought he did, an end to the game, but he didn’t expect Jack’s departure to be so...

 

Throwing down the half-finished cigarette, Gabriel crushed the embers in a visible effort to snuff out his own traitorous thoughts. He had other matters to worry about, _pressing matters_ that involved his own well-being. Without further ado, Gabriel flicked on the ethereal spectrum of his mask.

 

Observing how spirits interacted with the corporeal world had always been interesting. At least for the first couple hundred years. Old spirits went to where their homes once were, lingering around town amidst the livings. Some were sad, some were happy, watching as the world moved on before them.

 

And then there were some who just revelled in the chaos that could be brought with the thinning of the veil. Either out of malice or simply entertainment.

 

They tend to blend in with the crowd. But with over a thousand years of practice under his belt, Gabriel’s eyes were a pair of fine-tooth combs, brushing out his potential targets. The spirits were divided between the conscious and the subconscious. It was much simpler than it sounded. The conscious were aware that they were deceased and did not truly belong to this realm, whereas the subconscious seemed to be stuck in a loop, following the same pattern of habits and activities they had when they were still alive. The latter held no interest to Gabriel, as unfortunate as they were.

 

The former however, was a different story. In contrary to popular belief, not all malevolent spirits could stay and “haunt” this plane of reality. It depended on many factors for a soul to linger. Personal belief, physical entities or objects with strong enough emotional ties, the land’s spiritual vibes, etcetera. For the spirit to manifest in any physical spectrum was another level. Basically taking the basic requirements and strengthening them at least ten folds. Not every powerful ghost desired to do harm either. And _even then_ it was still difficult for normal human spirits to do actual harm to the living. Often their mischiefs and troubles stopped at cold spots, random and seldom falling objects, lights flickering or slight electrical interference.

 

Well, at least for the mortal souls. Things tend to get a bit more complicated when those with magic got involved. Those with immense powers all craved to be at the peak of their prime for as long as they could. Many sought immortality, in one form or another. Many had failed and many got stuck in a swirl of consequences they caused.

 

 _Fools...There is no such thing as true immortality._ But Gabriel supposed he wasn’t one to talk either.

 

There he went, getting off-track again. Still, there wasn’t much to keep an eye out for in this town. No matter, dusk has not fallen yet here, and he still had the whole continent to explore yet, if this hunting ground turned out to be a bust. He simply prefered to start in more quiet zones before heading off to more populated areas.

 

Besides, Gabriel got plenty of _time_ in his hands.

 

Moving down the street, Gabriel easily blended into the steady trickle of people. He only needed to add a mask to his usual get up and bam, instant Halloween costume. A sleek, fashionable one at that.

 

This town, which Gabriel couldn’t bother to remember the name of, was so small, they only had one main street. It was ridden with history, none quite noteworthy, extremely mundane and...normal. And so were the spirits of its past. Gabriel was sure if he treaded deeper into the residential area, he could potentially dig up things that might benefit him. Afterall, everything, no matter how innocent and tranquil on the surface, had a secret. Still, it didn’t hurt to just enjoy the atmosphere first. Secretly, the Sorcerer did like festive occasions, even when he had no-one to spend them with. The holidays made Gabriel felt a little more human than he would like to admit, and he often found solace in that feeling amidst his loneliness. There was a certain joy in his heart, looking at plastic decorations, colourful costumes and carved pumpkins.

 

... _Wait_.

 

Though none of his body language betrayed him, Gabriel’s senses spiked up at the hint of disturbance. Through the special spectrum of his mask, it didn’t take long for the Sorcerer to pick up the abnormality among mortals, in the form of a man. Shoulders huddled inside a faded brown jacket and head hunched in oversized collar, the man seemed like he was trying to appear smaller than he actually was. What appeared to be a blue postal tube slung behind his back, pairing with a modernised chonmage hairstyle, gave the man the appearance of a poor art student.

 

Not according to Gabriel’s spectrum, however. This man was covered in a sheen of blue energy, constantly shifting to keep his glamour together as he passed through the crowd, crackling golden every time it touched a human.

 

Perhaps Gabriel wouldn’t have to hop hunting ground just yet.

 

Fae had been an uncommon sighting for the last century or so. A tatsu so far away from home however, was a first.

 

Double checking his bindings, Gabriel quietly followed the disguised dragon undetected. He didn’t draw much attention to himself, just like his glamour was intended for. Needless to say, suspicions rose within Gabriel as his target turned at a street corner and followed a street that would eventually lead out of town. The Sorcerer kept his distance, knowing that he could be easily be detected. Just after he made the same turn, Gabriel strode into somebody’s empty yard, went behind the trash can and activated the charm on his belt. A large raven became his guise, smoothly catching a late October breeze and gliding above the tatsu.

 

The dragon didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but he wasn’t slowing down either. Good. That meant he didn’t realise Gabriel was following him. But he had given the Sorcerer no reason to attack yet, and only until the tatsu expressed a nefarious intent would Gabriel strike.

 

Of course, Gabriel didn’t pick this place, or any place for his yearly trip at that matter, out on a whim. The thinning of the veil was one thing, but even without it, the supernatural community still thrived. There had been some traffics through this town for the last couple of years or so. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened. No sudden disappearance or unforeseen natural disaster. However, whoever had been passing through here kept spiriting away at the edge of town, leaving behind no trace. Sombra suspected they were establishing a new magical intersection, but despite hers and Gabriel’s own investigation, they had found nothing supporting this theory. If it was a transportation spell, it must be a newer one and, for the life of him, Gabriel could not find out what enticed anyone to come here. There was no sign indicating a point of power, no strange manifestation or even mysterious artifact. The appearances had been random and followed no particular pattern, but Gabriel had hoped that if they were testing something, no other night would be better than Hallow’s Eve.

 

Glad to see that his intuition was right. The Sorcerer kept his distance, hopping on roofs and branches like a real bird would, but never too far away. The dragon seemed very sure of where he was going, keeping his pace and never once turned around. Curious with his usual paranoia nagging at the back of his mind, Gabriel took flight again, hanging back a bit further and higher on the sky as they passed the residential area. He couldn’t read the magical spectrum in this form, but Gabriel had investigated this town more than enough to know the exact points where the passersby usually disappeared at. And this dragon was heading to none of those. Those whom Gabriel witnessed all spirited away at the edge of town. The one he was following was walking further and further away from town, in the middle of an empty, cracked road surrounded by endless waves of corn.

 

Something about this tatsu seemed a bit familiar…

 

Opening his wings, Gabriel halted mid-air and turned around, getting the hell away from the empty fields. Damn it, he should have given into his paranoia much sooner.

 

Too late.

 

A bullet whizzed pass, embedded into his left wing. Pain was a sharp shot, threatening to overwhelm his senses, but Gabriel fought to keep his balance as the ground rose to meet him. The Sorcerer crashed into the cornfield, rolling in a mess of feathers and blood, before releasing the transformation. The wound is a lot smaller to a human, but a nuisance nonetheless. He didn’t waste time tending to it though, springing to his feet while mumbling a teleportation spell under his breath.

 

A blade of wind cut him short on his track, and would have cut him in half if Gabriel’s reflex wasn’t up to par. Vaulting himself to a different direction, Gabriel cursed. There wasn’t going to be enough time for him to recite an incantation. Whoever attacked him seemed too organised to let him slip past so simply. The Sorcerer was alone and his adversary definitely wasn’t.

 

His injured hand reached inside of his coat, digging out a wooden whistle. Worn and painfully chipped, many had made the mistake of underestimating the artifact. A slight rumble to his right halted Gabriel, and he conjured up a shield just in time to block a giant gorilla fist coming down. Even though he was protected, the blow pushed Gabriel back and almost tumbled him over if the sorcerer didn’t dig his feet. Knowing that he was surrounded, Gabriel squared his stance. A sharp hiss came from his whistle, split the corn trees in front of him and blew the beast backwards. The Sorcerer’s uninjured arm pulled out something else from his pocket, moving it in an arc with the wind. Fire, seething blue and roaring, blazed to life, separating him from the gorilla.

 

“I wouldn’t try that again if I were you.” Gabriel huffed as he heard the beast’s annoyed growl, “Hell Fire isn’t particularly kind to the flesh.”

 

He sidestepped, glancing at the arrow in place of where he was half a second ago.

 

“It isn’t honourable to kill without showing your face to your target you know.” Gabriel drawled, his voice took a louder tone, “Especially when you got me ambushed and cornered like this.”

 

Another arrow was his answer, and the Sorcerer knew he hit a nerve when the archer roared, “Where was your _honour_ when you stole my pearl?!”

 

 _Aw, shit_.

 

Doing what Gabriel did, not on Halloween nights, but more of his _daily business_ , he had undoubtedly made quite a few enemies. No wonder the tatsu seemed familiar. First of all, there wasn’t many of them left on Earth. Secondly, he had only ever stolen from one. Thirdly, he did that out of a bet. With said tatsu’s brother, whom he also double-crossed and took the pearl away instead of giving it back to the younger dragon.

 

Damn it, Gabriel knew this was ought to come back and bite him in the ass one day. He didn’t expect it to be _today_. In other, better news, at least only the tatsu he stole from showed up, glaring daggers at him with his bow strung, another arrow aiming at Gabriel’s chest.

 

 _Great._ Still, that didn’t give him any clue who the hell the ape was.

 

“Easy there, Hanzo.” A voice, too smooth and fluent for a primate to have, spoke behind Gabriel, “He has stolen many things from many people. I’d rather him stay alive until we got our possessions back.”

 

The man standing on the other side of the fire was a far cry from the brutish gorilla that attacked Gabriel earlier. Greying hair and a permanent 5 o’clock shadow framed his tired face, the man was made even lankier in his ragged white coat. Under the blue light, he looked almost sick compared to the burly dragon.

 

A shape-shifter...That _still_ didn’t tell Gabriel who the fuck this guy was.

 

“Don’t get any idea, _thief._ ” Hanzo sneered, “Give back what is rightfully ours, and we may grant you a swift death.”

 

He was kidding, right? Even if they were a dragon and a shape-shifter, they seriously overestimated themselves if they thought they got Gabriel under control.

 

“Now, now, gentlemen. There is no need for _death threats_ when we can solve everything in a much more civilised manner.” Gabriel opted for a more calming tone, making to raise his uninjured hand in a peaceful manner. With the dragon and the shape-shifter’s eyes straining on his moving appendages, they had no idea that smoke was slowly curling inside the Sorcerer’s coat…

 

A bullet came out of nowhere, hitting Gabriel just above where his wound was.

 

“ _Son of a bitch!_ ”

 

Gabriel was on one knee and now with Hanzo’s arrow aiming between his eyes, “Like I said, _don’t_ get any idea.” There was a smugness in the dragon’s voice, a smugness that Gabriel wanted to punch off of him, “You are hopelessly outnumbered.”

 

Okay, so they might be a bit smarter than Gabriel had given them the credit for. They were careful not to give Gabriel their exact number and the Sorcerer couldn’t pinpoint where their accomplices were either. Seemed like they were right, they did have Gabriel cornered.

 

He quickly analised the situation. They could hurt him, but they couldn’t exactly kill him. Otherwise their goal would fail. Neither the dragon nor the gorilla was going to attack him, knowing that he could easily retaliate in such close quarter. His real threats were hidden and clearly he was an open target. Obviously, Gabriel couldn’t rely on them being bound with the same purpose as these two.

 

“I told you, he is not going to give them up willingly.” The shape-shifter’s tone was even, betraying no emotion.

 

Hanzo’s sharp eyes narrowed, “Then perhaps he won’t object to being _convinced_.”

 

Really, torturing was _so_ last century...Gabriel bit back the urge to roll his eyes, thinking about a few choice words he could use to trigger a different spell instead. Anything with a visual delay would get him shot again, as his previous attempt had shown. That ruled out teleportation, blink, phasing, transformation and most offensive attacks. Gabriel realised belatedly that his Hell Fire, while was beautiful in keeping the shape-shifter’s distance, was also a dead-giveaway for whoever was watching. The Zephyr’s whistle was still clutched in his fist, but Gabriel was pretty sure they would shoot his arm straight off this time if he tried anything...

 

Gabriel bodily threw himself back, feeling the sudden dart scratching the bridge of his nose before disappearing behind the blue flames. Unfortunately, his weight fell on his injured arm, and the weird angle made the bullets stabbed even further into his flesh. Biting down his lips hard and tasting blood in his mouth, Gabriel saw Hanzo approaching him out of the corner of his eye. Sprawled on the ground, the Sorcerer kicked at the dragon’s legs, only to roar in part pain, part anger as an arrow pierced through his calf.

 

“You can fight, but you can’t win, thief.”

 

Whatever was on that fucking dart probably was enough to knock out an elephant, because what little it got stuck on Gabriel was acting _fast_ . His vision spun and, if this wasn’t humiliating enough, he _missed his own mouth_ trying to use the damn whistle. However, soon enough Gabriel realised the drug wasn’t meant to give him blissful darkness. It gave him a splitting headache instead, his body heat going haywire and his ears rang like he was inside a giant monastery bell. The Sorcerer kept his eyes peeled open out of sheer stubbornness, slurring out curses as Hanzo slapped the whistle out of his feeble hand. The dragon reached down, fingers plated with shimmering steel, and punched Gabriel in the face.

 

_Petty fucker._

 

Even though incapacitated, Gabriel could still see the savagely victorious glint in Hanzo’s eyes. His fist rose, this time aiming for Gabriel’s nose. The Sorcerer mentally braced himself, only to blink in confusion when it froze just a hair before impact.

 

A sound filled the air, familiar and yet indistinguishable amidst the ringing in Gabriel’s head. Whatever it was, it had Hanzo standing up and spinning like a mad man, trying to find the source. Two more bullets were fired, but far less accurate as before since they embedded themselves inches away from Gabriel’s head. Over the flame, he heard the shape-shifter’s confused howling and the corns snapping under his rage. The songs, though louder, were still muffled in Gabriel’s disoriented state.

 

And then, luminescent leather wings filled the Sorcerer’s vision, shimmering under the sunset like aurora.

 

 _Oh, no_.

 

Jack’s perfect grin positively sparkled as he hauled Gabriel’s limp body up in his arms, “Let’s get you out of here.”

 

He kinda wanted to bat at the dumb siren, but a rush of wind knocked the breath out of Gabriel as they went airborne. Flying with his current issues would probably be the most nausea-inducing thing ever, so Gabriel finally gave up and closed his eyes. Besides, Jack’s naturally cool skin soothed his burning temperature, so that was a plus.

 

Jack sang even as they flew away, keeping his bewitching hold on Gabriel’s enemies for as long as he could. They flew until the sun was but a purple mark in the horizon, and Jack sang until Gabriel’s head rose from the crook of his neck. His speed was much slower now, as he was not used to flying for long distance, and his muscles were tightening under Gabriel’s grip.

 

“You can stop.”

 

Jack didn’t argue with that. He circled twice before making a rather rough landing in the forest below, letting Gabriel go before slumping onto his knees. If was only then did the Sorcerer noticed the siren was having legs instead of tail, and Jack was bearing a striking form of a (extraordinarily handsome) blond man, with the exception of the wings protruding from his hips.

 

Heh...Gabriel hadn’t seen Jack like this in decades. Not since he had once made the mistake of staying in an inn near his rendezvous spot with Jack.

 

Noticing Gabriel’s stare, Jack leveled his breathing and held onto a tree to stand upright. He hadn’t much practice walking on land for a while either, Gabriel could tell, with how shaky his long legs were.

 

“Fancy seeing you here.” The Sorcerer unceremoniously sat down, mindful of his own impaled leg. He was lucky the damn arrow didn’t go through his bone. Mumbling a spell under his breath to numb the pain, Gabriel snapped the shaft in half and pulled it out. The two bullets were also forced out with another spell. Fuck, he wasn’t going to be able to patch wounds this deep.

 

For once, Jack didn’t seem like he fancied answering Gabriel. Blue eyes watched him with veiled emotions, and then the siren fish out something from a pouch on his belt.

 

“This will stop the blood.” It was an algae of sort, silky green and glistening in Jack’s gloved hand.

 

“That’s nasty.” Gabriel commented, but he took it nonetheless. The thing stung, but Gabriel had used this before, and the effect of the spell kept the worst at bay. Jack was still uncharacteristically quiet and although Gabriel was thankful for this, the Sorcerer soon grew suspicious.

 

Why did Jack show up when he did? And more importantly, why did Jack not foresee what would happen? Why _didn’t_ Jack tell him…?

 

Gabriel sprung to his feet, Hell Fire sparked on his fingertips. Jack didn’t even startle. He seemed calm rather, _almost_ guilty.

 

“I can explain.”

 

“Explain _what_ , asshole? What did they give you to make you neglect to tell me what would happen?!”

 

For the first time in their long relationship, Gabriel saw Jack flinch. Like he was physically slapped by the accusation. Then, wrath came.

 

“How _dare_ you?!” He hissed, lips pulling back into a snarl, made less threatening by his perfect human teeth, _“How dare you_ put me in with that lot?! I just _saved you!!!_ ”

 

Riled up, because Jack couldn’t possibly take Gabriel for a fool, the Sorcerer stabbed his unlit fingers at Jack’s broad chest, “ _You didn’t tell me they were going to be there!_ I don’t know about how your kind would see it, but that’s pretty much helping them getting to me!”

 

Something shifted in Jack’s expression. He slapped Gabriel’s wrist away, snarling viciously, “But I saved you didn’t I?! I took you away!!!”

 

“That’s not the fucking point!”

 

“Then what is?! Tell me, what.is.the.point?!” Jack punctured each word with a step closer to Gabriel, pale skin ablaze in his fluster, “If you could have just told me, it wouldn’t have gotten to this!!! Gabe, you never even notice me! By Poseidon! This has been the most you've been in my presence for the last couple of _centuries!_ Why can’t I at least be around you for this night?! I proved that I could help you here more than I could from afar!!!”

 

“Prove _what?!_ That you could actually get me killed if you wanted to?! Because you damn well did!” Gabriel was venomous after Jack’s rant, shoving at the siren, “Oh, I forgot. That’s exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? Land or sea, it doesn’t fucking matter.”

 

Jack’s wail was unlike anything he had heard before. It was rage, anguish and betrayal all woven into a broken song. The hurt it carried lingered at the bottom of Gabriel’s chest, but he squashed it down ruthlessly. He wasn’t going to give in to the siren’s manipulation. Not after what just happened.

 

“All I ever wanted is for you to trust me.” Jack’s voice was raspy, bewildered and lost, “I have served even when there was nothing to bind me to you. I have served only for your company. Have I not done enough? Don’t I deserve at least your trust?”

 

Silence drowned them, hopeless and heavy. The fire snuffed out on Gabriel’s fingers as he curled them around a tree trunk.

 

“No.” He turned, avoiding the shattered look in Jack’s eyes, “If anything, you just lost it.”

 

Gabriel let the grove’s current reeled him away. Away from Jack.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t the first time Gabriel had shown up bloodied at Reinhardt’s tavern 2 A.M in the morning. Pissed as hell, however, was new. The Sorcerer was often quite blasé even when someone got the upper hand on him. Made him think better, as Gabriel had once told the burly man of a (former) Crusader. Though often short in attitude, Gabriel Reyes had always been cold and calculated, especially when someone managed to get to him.

 

But not this time.

 

Reinhardt merely rose an eyebrow, listening to Gabriel’s angry swearing as he stitched up the Sorcerer. It sounded bad, even when Reinhardt knew Gabriel had a penchant to make things more dramatic. Gabriel might be raging now, but he must be  _ gutted _ to spew off like this to Reinhardt of all people.

 

Perhaps to Gabriel’s standard, he and the tavern owner hadn’t known one another for long. But to Reinhardt, he had known Gabriel all his life, and then some. The tavern was his family for centuries, hidden in a humble corner of Germany. They had raised many generations of proud Crusaders, and their tavern was considered one of the very few sanctuaries left on Earth for the supernatural. All were welcomed here to rest and recuperate, without the fear of being attacked within the Wilhelm’s family premise.

 

Gabriel had frequented here for as long as Reinhardt could remember. The Sorcerer knew his father, his grandfather before him, and so on. Gabriel didn’t often discuss his immortality openly, but it didn’t take much to know of it. He kind of had a reputation within their community, and it was hard not to know when the supernatural had been flocking here for centuries. Even though the subject was never up for debate, Reinhardt knew the sorcerer’s immortality was not obtained by a conventional method. Hell, was  _ anyone’s _ ?

 

For all his charms and talents, Gabriel was quite the loner. He had very few people to call acquaintances, and none that Reinhardt knew of to call friend. The weight of existing on forever erased the charm of socialising, there were just too many...complications involved, physically and emotionally.

 

Gabriel was no exception, even if he would most likely to deny it. Besides, Reinhardt had no reason to breach the subject, one was to preserve what camaraderie had formed between them over the years, and two was that he knew Gabriel wouldn’t take kindly to his efforts. However, with how this conversation was going, especially with h, it might be time to do just that. He didn’t have forever to help gently knock some sense into Gabriel, after all.

 

“That does sound like a close call.”

 

Gabriel seemed offended. “That’s putting it  _ mildly. _ The damn siren nearly got what he has always wanted. I should have known better and never let it come to this.”

 

Reinhardt took one deep breath and fought the urge to rub his forehead. Perhaps if he took a tentative approach…? "You know, you don't even remember the names of those who are after you or those who you spoke to frequently, but you do mention this siren of yours a lot."

 

For a fraction of a second, Gabriel’s eyes widened, before schooling his expression into one of cold rage, “Were you even listening? He tried to have me killed.”

 

“No.” Reinhardt sighed, trying to word himself better, “I believe what he did was...excessive. It’s a good thing it didn’t get any further. But I’m just saying, you do mention him a lot. Today was definitely a bad day, but knowing you, you wouldn’t have been so upset if you didn’t put some faith in him to begin with, would you?”

 

At first, Reinhardt thought Gabriel was either going to have a stroke or going to obliterate him. Fortunately neither happened.

 

“He is not  _ my siren _ , and define “a lot”.”

 

“Well, you do complain about him after every Halloween outing.” Feeling bolder, Reinhardt washed his hands, then wrapped up Gabriel’s bicep with clean plaster, “Jack is brought up in nearly every single conversation you got into.”

 

God forbid, if Reinhardt got a Euro for every time he heard Gabriel said “I know this guy, Jack”, he would have been able to develop his tavern into a chain restaurant decades ago. Judging by Gabriel’s expression, the Sorcerer’s denial was halfway out of his mouth when he overanalysed himself and swallowed it back, growling.

 

Deciding to push his luck, Reinhardt shrugged, “You might not look it, but you’re too old to play such a juvenile game. It’s a lot simpler than you made it sound.”

 

“Stop beating around the bush and spit it out!”

 

Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. Being the ever-gracious host that he was, he poured Gabriel a tall whiskey before getting to clean the mess off of his polished, empty bar, “Jack is a siren, Gabriel.” He ignored the Sorcerer’s snort, “He is capable of a lot more than just carnival fortune-telling tricks.”

 

“Those aren’t just  _ tricks _ . They are  _ prophecies _ . There are quite a few distinct differences.”

 

Reinhardt ignored Gabriel’s sneering defensiveness, “You know full-well he’s a powerful creature. Judging by what you have told me, Jack seemed like he would do anything you want him to, if you only asked. With your own resourcefulness, you wouldn’t have to rely on his foresee abilities either.”

 

He paused, but Gabriel wasn’t keen on answering. So Reinhardt barrelled on, “You both enjoyed each other’s company, and while Jack has been honest about this, you haven’t.”

 

The Sorcerer threw back the shot of whiskey, slamming the glass down onto the counter so hard it sounded like a gunshot. “You are crossing a line here, Wilhelm.”

 

Maybe he was, but Reinhardt felt like this was the only chance to bring up such a subject with Gabriel. Other than being a frequent visitor and long,  _ long _ time customer, Reinhardt actually did like the edgy sorcerer. Though calculative and could come off as a class-A asshole at times, Gabriel was a good man at heart. Living as long as he had, Reinhardt could imagine Gabriel had had himself a fair share of lovers. One that was human and immortal as he was, however…

 

“It is with your best interests in my heart that I do so.” Normally, Reinhardt was very adamant about not meddling with personal affairs. Boundary was the most important part in any relationship, especially with one so delicate and...difficult as between himself and Gabriel, and crossing them could easily lead to disasters. But sometimes, it was necessary.

 

“I worry about you, Gabriel.” Reinhardt pressed on earnestly, hoping to get the message through, “You could be much happier than you are now, but you refuse to even entertain the thought. This isn’t a mortal you are dealing with. Time does not have the same effect on him.”

 

Even though it was still present, Gabriel’s wrath subsided. Reinhardt could almost hear the cogs turning in his head, scrutinising the words spoken to him. “The more time you have in your hand, the more patient you grow. He does need a good hunt every once in a while.”

 

This had turned out to be quite a test of patience...“You led yourself into believing that. Again, I agree that what he did today was rash and unnecessary, but perhaps you jumped into conclusion because your mind wanted it to be that way.”

 

It seemed like Gabriel was at the end of his tolerance as well, “If you know him so well, enlighten me then. What else can a creature, who seduces people then eats them, want from me?”

 

A pause, then, “Companionship.”

 

Gabriel was bewildered, “You can’t seriously think…”

 

“Think about it, Gabriel.” Reinhardt didn’t relent, prying the glass from the Sorcerer’s grasp and poured another tall one, which the latter took wordlessly, still eyeing the bartender like he was mad. “If Jack wanted to kill you, he would have done so long ago. Unlike wine, I doubt your meat would get better with age.”

 

Gabriel’s expression soured, “Who knows what his appetite’s like?” And knocked the whiskey down. Reinhardt heaved out a sigh.

 

“My point is: he’s shown no interest in killing you. Let’s say it  _ was _ his intention to get you killed tonight, then he still didn’t have to show up in the end, flying you away  _ on land _ where his powers are weakest.  _ On Hallow’s Eve _ when other, much more dangerous creatures could be out and target him instead of you. Do you know how much any part of a siren can be sold for on the Black Market?”

 

Eyes narrowed, Gabriel glared at Reinhardt with a sudden sharpness, “Is there a market for such things? How the hell do you know?”

 

Reinhardt heaved out a long, exasperated breath. Of all the stubborn son of a goat…”That’s irrelevant. What I’m saying is, he was trying to impress you. In a juvenile, complicated and excessive way, but he tried to impress you.”

 

“...That’s stupid.” Gabriel snorted after a break, “He broke our confidentiality. Jack’s too smart to do something so careless.”

 

“By saying you have a confidentiality, it implies that there is a trust between you two.”

 

Gabriel gaped at Reinhardt’s deadpanned statement, “You’re impossible.  _ Fine! _ ” He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Let’s say there  _ was  _ a trust between the two of us. That still didn't stop him from throwing it out of the window.”

 

_ Ah ha! _ “Does he even know there was a trust to begin with?”

 

For once, Gabriel seemed speechless. And Reinhardt felt a great sense of victory, as he for once had broken through all of the Sorcerer’s excuses, “From what you have told me, all he’s ever nagged you about is _ trust _ . He  _ doesn’t know _ , Gabriel. You never let him know. You never  _ wanted _ to let him know.”

 

“...You’re assuming too much.”

 

That sounded weak to Reinhardt’s ears, so he was entitled to ignore it, “And why is that? You have stolen from the most dangerous creatures known to man. You have angered the most cunning, powerful entities and survived. Why would you be afraid of a lonely siren, if it wasn’t because he held your heart?”

 

Gabriel went through a series of emotions then. First and foremost was rage, seething and self-righteous. Then there was a mix of bewilderment and confusion of all things. And then...Gabriel seemed to draw up his usual callous mask, though Reinhardt could still see the chips around the edges. The bartender waited with baited breath as Gabriel smoothed out his expression, and failed to do so.

 

“I...refuse to be toyed with. Besides, he will not fit in my world.”

 

Reinhardt tried not to let his growing frustration filtered through his voice, “You care for him and he cares for you. It is simple.”

 

Gabriel’s expression closed up, “It’s not.”

 

“Why?” Reinhardt frowned. But then, pieces of the puzzle began to fall into places. With a much lower voice, “Because you’re scared you could lose him along the way. Because of the amount of time you could spend, have spent together, if you lose him, you're afraid you'd lose everything.”

 

The sobering tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Reinhardt knew he had gone way past the line and, for the first time, was wary when Gabriel’s expression turned cold. Abruptly, the Sorcerer stood, signalling the end of their conversation. A turquoise was slid across the bar to Reinhardt, his payment, and Gabriel slung on his black coat once more.

 

“Thank you for your services.”

 

He walked out of the door without another word, leaving Reinhardt alone with an uneasy feeling.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Gabriel did after leaving the tavern was calling Sombra.

 

_ “What the fuck?!” _ He winced at her screech,  _ “But the readings-...” _

 

“Were traps, carefully strung to lure me in. And I have a feeling the mastermind has yet to enter the fray.”

 

“ _ Great, that’s just great. _ ”

 

Gabriel winced again when the other end sounded like she just shoved half a bag of chips into her mouth and chewed aggressively. The Sorcerer didn’t comment on it however, knowing Sombra needed some time to process all the information. He had told the witch in details of what happened, sans Jack’s appearance of course. He didn’t want to have another conversation like what he did with Reinhardt. Hell, he would be lucky if Sombra would be half as  _ polite _ as the German, the damned witch would probably be antagonising him for years.

 

_ “How many hours do you have left?” _

 

Without even looking at his watch, “Five.”

 

“ _ Aiyaiyai…Tight. Backup plan? _ ”

 

“No. They might be compromised as well.”

 

Sombra sounded offended,  _ “Are you saying my lines are not secure? _ ”

 

“I’m saying that I’m not taking any chances.” There was a bit of steel in Gabriel’s voice. He was surprised he could keep his demeanours calm for this long. “I will investigate the site after my business is done. For now, I will cut communication.”

 

“ _...Right. _ ” Her voice was a bit dejected. Sombra no doubt was already fired up to get to the bottom of this attack, but Gabriel simply didn’t have the time to nor was he in the mood for a wild goose chase. “ _ I uh...I’ll run down the list of suspects then. You  _ do _ have a lot of enemies after all. _ ”

 

That reminder had Gabriel grimacing. He probably had added one more to the list tonight. Involuntarily, that thought brought him back to Reinhardt’s conversation. Gabriel bit back a sigh.

 

“...Thanks. I’ll contact you later.”

 

_ “No probs, amigo.” _

 

“...Wait.”

 

_ “Que?” _

 

It was too late to stop then. God fucking damn old man trying to get into his fucking head... “What’s your name again?”

 

“. _..Wut?! _ ”

 

A long pause. Then, “Nevermind. I’ll talk to you later.”

 

“ _...Riiiiight...You take care of yourself now. Don’t let any sirens bite! _ ”

 

And she hung up at his cursing, crackling in mad glee.

 

Was the fucking world out to get him today or something?! Gabriel almost threw his phone away, but reconsidered after taking three deep breaths. It didn’t really help, but he did shove the device into his pocket instead and hailed a cab to Downtown LA.

 

Celebration was in full-swing here. They would take any excuse to party in larger cities. Torrents of people flooding the streets, in all kinds of costumes that formed a chaotic kaleidoscope under the lights. Whilst Gabriel always preferred quieter environments to hunt, the crowd made it easier to blend in. Nobody was going to question or remember a guy in a mask on Halloween. People would chart any odd behaviour down to intoxication.

 

Gabriel blended right into the crowd. Steel soles clapped upon concrete, he carefully masked his magic trail. Under his mask, the Sorcerer scanned the mass of people, watching. Many of the community had the same idea as Gabriel in moving with the flow of festivity, most of them for different reasons. But he wasn’t on a witch hunt. He was no superhero, and he saw no reason to waste his precious time following potential public enemies.

 

Well, maybe  _ some _ of them…

 

Just like the living, the spirits were out to play this night. Decades and centuries worth of memories and regrets had them circling the city, made transparent by bright lights. It was always harder to pick them out and distinguish one kind from another like this, with every presence entangling into one another.

 

With a scowl, Gabriel picked his targets and took off. He hated it when he had to result to these easy preys. In all honesty however, Ziegler had no specific preference in their contract, which implied Gabriel could have bagged the shiniest, most innocent spirit out there and given it to her without the witch batting an eyelash. Perhaps she would prefer it that way too, and it was just Gabriel who made everything more complicated for himself.

 

As per usual.

 

Gabriel made quick work of of the more mischievous spirits. Nothing special about them, just enough powers to slam some doors and flicker some lights. The Sorcerer was slightly aghast of the quality, but it wasn’t, shouldn’t be his main concern. Most of them didn’t even realise they were being captured. Those who did were so terrified, they didn’t even try to run. No mortal even saw what he did, and even if they were staring at him, they would only see a man in a ripped coat and a mask, trolling down the bustling streets. There was no fanfare, no extra sparks of a spell. Just good ol’ brute force, quick and savage. The Sorcerer descended upon them like a shade out of Hell, his smoke tendrils grasping at their essence, dragging them into a glowing jar. Fashioned by a contractor worked for Ziegler, it was a mini prison cell for most things ethereal. 

 

It was a rather horrifying concept to think about, being held in such an unusual contraption. Anything designed to imprison souls was guaranteed to be ridden with curses and forbidden magic. But it wasn’t anything Gabriel needed to think about. He did what he had to to survive.

 

Or did he?

 

Drawing his coat tightly around himself, the Sorcerer latched the catch of the night onto his belt and split off from the crowd. While humans couldn’t see most magic, a teleportation spell would definitely stir the air in close quarters and cause more minor annoyances than he would like. He still had almost two hours to meet up with Ziegler, so might as well play safe and try to confuse anyone that might be tracking him. So Gabriel hailed another cab, went into a fast food shack, travelled one stop on the bus, dropping his magical marks at odd places before heading to where he intended to disappear, which was the opposite of the city main magical gateway.

 

However, it wasn’t until Gabriel turned further down the quieter residential area did he feel a familiar pinprick sense of being followed.

 

Swearing under his breath, Gabriel pulled out a small glass pebble, swirling with white smoke. Raising it above his head with a spell on his tongue, Gabriel was going to smash it on the concrete to create an emergency portal when a fucking bullet shattered it to pieces. The magic went up in a harmless puff, and Gabriel suddenly found himself on the run once more. 

 

He wasn’t going to be cocky this time. Whoever was following him knew  _ exactly _ how to find him. Gabriel was cloaked to most scrying methods. He carried a number of artifacts on him to make sure of that. There were only a few individuals with a few very specific set of skills could track him down this easily.

 

_ Left _ .

 

Ice dropped to his stomach, Gabriel instinctively veered to the side. An arrow embedded where he was half a second ago, going through the pavement like it was cutting through silk. 

 

But he  _ knew that voice _ …

 

_ Right _ .

 

Gabriel hopped onto the pavement again, grunting out a few choice words. Smoke came out, boosting his speed and giving him less chance to be physically injured. Questions could be asked later. He didn’t know how many enemies there were and who exactly was behind all of this.

 

_ In front of you _ .

 

Gabriel wraith-walked, just in time when giant gorilla fist brought down on his head.  _ Godfuckingdamnit!  _ And the whispers sounded like they were right next to his ears too!

 

_ Left. Into the trees.  _

 

The trees Jack spoke of was a meager excuse of a park, with granite walkways and grass so perfectly trimmed it looked artificial. While the tall trees did provide some cover from whoever was chasing him on foot, they did nothing to protect him from the shooter. A mix of feelings rose in his chest, though Gabriel had to admit, he was surprised disappointment coloured the majority of it.

 

That was until he heard a distance hiss, two fantic gunshots, and a shout that didn’t belong to the siren.

 

_ You cannot run from the Eye of Horus. I slowed her, but the dragon and the shapeshifter are not stopping. _

 

“The  _ Eye?! _ ” Gabriel snapped aloud. What the fuck?! He was pretty sure he had never stolen from a God before, had no desire to and wasn’t stupid enough to either. No matter. This wasn’t the time.

 

If only portal stones weren’t so rare, and  _ that bitch _ destroyed the last one he had on hand. Cursing under his breath, Gabriel felt under his coat and gritted his teeth. No,  _ not yet _ . 

 

Fire sparked on his fingers, Gabriel spun around and seared an incoming arrow into ash. The Sorcerer made a sharp turn, jumping into the grass to stop the obvious thumping his boots were making. Hasty words mumbled his breath, Gabriel broke a different crystal as he ran. Botanical spells had never been his forte, but desperate time called for desperate measures, right? Grass and branches suddenly grew in an abundance, weaving together into a tangled net. He didn’t stop even when the gorilla’s enraged roars sounded behind him. The forced growth wasn’t going to last for long. Within minutes, it would all wither away and die. But a few minutes was all he needed.

 

Completing his enchantment, Gabriel turned into a black mist, whizzing across the road and disappeared into the darkness of an alley. And he didn’t slow down until the spell wore off, miles away from the attack. Cursing quietly to himself, Gabriel looked behind him with a heavy scowl .

 

He never actually saw Jack. Fuck, he didn’t even know the siren was capable of staying on land for so long. And the fact that he went all the way up here…

 

Gabriel didn’t know what to think. The siren couldn’t travel on land nearly as quickly as he could in his natural element. In order to get here all the way from Indiana in such a short amount of time, Jack would have to fly at top speed. Due to his Sight, of course he would know exactly where Gabriel would be, and made it  _ just  _ in time to help.

 

The question was...how far would Jack go to trick Gabriel? Was it truly worth all that efforts to simply have a meal? 

 

“What are you doing?!”

 

_ Ah, speak of the devil… _

 

Jack’s landing was nothing remotely close to graceful. He almost dropped out of the sky, knees and hands scraping painfully on the ground. There were visible tears to his normally impeccable wings. Something stirred within Gabriel, but he stomped that feeling down stubbornly. This was  _ not _ the time.

 

“I should be asking  _ you _ that question.”

 

Jack looked up at him, bewilderment in his too blue eyes and his skin several shades paler, as if he was going to be sick soon, “Are you joking me?! You need to get out of here,  _ now! _ ”

 

“Not until you tell me what’s going on.” 

 

This was probably wasn’t his smartest choice. But anger was clouding Gabriel’s judgement. None of this would have happened if Jack just told him what he Saw in the first place!

 

“I swear to the highest of powers, Gabriel Reyes, if you just get the fuck out of here now, I’d do anything for you! Just...go!  _ Please!!! _ ”

 

The pleading note in Jack’s voice should have been an alarm. The siren  _ never _ begged for anything. Even when he was desperate in vying for Gabriel’s attention…

 

_ No _ .

 

“Why should I be doing your bidding, when you have betrayed me?”

 

The look in Jack’s eyes was both mortified and insulted. But he visibly held himself back from what would have been screeching the skin of Gabriel’s face off, and rose to his height instead, “I never meant for it to go this far. What I did was stupid and I didn’t expect everything to turn out like this. I was...I was so  _ fixated _ on you, I didn’t see other perspectives...I didn’t think the consequences would be...Oh Zeus...You  _ have _ to go!”

 

And he should have. Gabriel  _ should have listened _ when Jack’s voice turned a frantic note. But pride got the better of him.

 

He socked Jack in the gut.

 

Wheezing, the siren back off, wide eyes staring at Gabriel in shock. The grief in his blue depths that made the Sorcerer felt like he just punched himself. The adrenaline thrumming in his ears subsided, suddenly leaving Gabriel so, _ so _ cold…

 

Then, something shifted in Jack’s expression. Pupils turned to slits, his wings flared up in a massive span, charging forward. A spell was almost out of Gabriel’s lips when Jack tackled him, but with far more force behind it than Gabriel expected. The hit knocked the wind out of Gabriel as his back collided painfully into the ground. 

 

He also didn’t expect Jack to go limp on top of him. 

 

Golden light suddenly engulfed the siren, illuminating the dirty alley and pulling him away from Gabriel. Jack’s eyes were closed, his head lolled to the side. Coughing with fear rising like bile in his throat, Gabriel made a grab for the siren. But Jack was out of his reach. The light became more condensed, and soon morphed into a globe, forcing Jack to curl up at the bottom of it.

 

_ A fish bowl _ . Gabriel realised, feeling sick to his stomach.

 

A gasp burst forth from Jack’s lips. His eyes snapped open, his hands clawing at his own throat. One by one, his siren features started to overtake his smoother human skin. Legs turned into swishing tail, wings thrashing panickedly in the tight space. He was being suffocated, rendering songless by a magic that was far too familiar to Gabriel.

 

“Let him go, Ziegler.”

 

“Now, where would the fun be in that?”

 

Her honeyed voice never failed to make his skin crawl. Shining like the sun and more beautiful than the fairest humans could offer, Angela Ziegler was the opposite of what folktales often depicted witches to be, even if her outfit for today certainly would fit in with the whole celebration. Tendrils of golden magic came from her broom, keeping Jack suspended in there air, reflecting with satisfaction in the witch’s eyes.

 

“Besides, why should I let it go? Didn’t I just save you from it?” 

 

The words were eery in his ears, and something in Gabriel’s gut turned, “This isn’t your business, Ziegler. Let him go.”

 

“Awe, and here I thought I just protected my most important asset.” Her free hand pressed upon her ample bosom, Zeigler faked a sad sigh, “How does one get just a little bit of appreciation around here nowadays?”

 

Glancing at Jack, Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. The siren had given up trying to breathe properly, and was searching for Gabriel’s gaze. With all his strength, Jack mouthed.

 

_ Run _ .

 

A gun cocked behind them.

 

_ “Most important asset _ , huh?”

 

An older woman, dressed up in rugged blue coat and tactical gears, with a sniper in one hand and a shotgun pointing at Ziegler’s back in the other, appeared. One of her eyes was covered up, whereas the other was tattooed with an iconic symbol.

 

_ Ah, shit _ .

 

“Something you wanted to tell me, Angela?” The newcomer smiled, sweet as sugar, even when the glint in her single eye told a different story. The witch didn’t even turn around. A sultry, breathless laughter escaped her.

 

“Ana, oh Ana...How delightful to see you here.”

 

“Cut the crap, witch.” Ana’s voice turned cold, “You told me this was a competition. Competitions are supposed to go both ways, with both sides knowing the rules.”

 

Ziegler smirked, “Whoops?”

 

The gears in Gabriel’s head turned into overdrive. Another glance at Jack told him that neither of them was going to have much time, and that Gabriel had to play his cards right, stubbornness be damned.

 

“You hired an assassin to off me.” He gritted his teeth, “This goes against our contract, witch!”

 

“See,  _ hired _ isn’t exactly the word I’d use.” She feigned thinking, “It’s more like-...”

 

“She told me she no longer required the services of two immortal contractors.” Ana cut in mercilessly, “That there is supposed to be a competition. Whoever manages to kill the other first would take the sole benefit of immortality without a penalty. That you are well aware of this before I was.”

 

_ Oh, that bitch _ ….Gabriel would have wanted nothing more than to unleash all the powers he was worth of upon this scheming, lying piece of...But one look at Jack, and he pressed down his ire.

 

“And your other... _ helpers? _ ”

 

“Hanzo and Winston both want something very important that you have taken away from them.” There was a drop of smugness in Ana’s voice, “Ziegler said it is allowed to find aid, as you most likely have your own. And I did my homework, Mr. Reyes. You have quite the reputation.”

 

“Which is about to go up in smoke soon.” Gabriel drawled sarcastically, gathering up all his wits as his mind raced with the situation, “You almost got me in Indiana if it wasn’t for him.”

 

Ana dipped her head in acknowledgement, “I know you do have good ties with the shadow witch Sombra. And perhaps the Wilhelm heir. The siren has been...unexpected.”

 

“Unexpected indeed, I’d have to say.” Ziegler butted in, an unsettling grin stretching the corners of her lips, “After all these years...Gabriel, how could you not tell me you have such a gem in your arsenal? I’ve been looking for one in such a long time...and here you are, possessing one without using it to its full potential.”

 

Heat was getting to Gabriel’s head, “He is  _ not _ an object.”

 

“Potato, potato.” Angela flicked her wrist dismissively, “ If there's one thing that I hate, it would be a tool not used to its full potential. You're too soft, Gabriel. Do you know how rare and powerful it is? The last of its kind, a Songbird of Prophecy.”

 

His anger was snuffed out, and it was now his time to stare at a despairing Jack, schemes temporarily forgotten, “ _ What??? _ ”

 

"I have set Ana after you for a while, Gabriel.” She chuckled, heedless of the gun at the back of her head, “I thought you were so smart, you avoided all of the things she threw at you. Now I know why. Imagine the powers it could have brought you. You already have its unwavering loyalty. You could have had  _ so much more. _ "

 

This was striking a nerve. But Gabriel knew if he gave in to his emotions now, both him and Jack would be toast. Balling his hands into fists and ignoring how painful the leather gloves were stretching his skin, the Sorcerer asked, “Why targeting me, then? I have upheld our contract without a single mistake.” Until today. Which wasn’t his fucking fault to begin with. “By hunting for me, you have broken our oathed agreement.”

 

Tendrils of golden magic twisted away from Angela’s broom, knitting itself into a glowing piece of parchment. Even though he couldn’t read the words clearly, Gabriel knew all of it by heart. 

 

_ If one side attempts to end the contract by any unconventional and undisputed method (i.e. murder), the other side will receive their end of the agreement indefinitely without being bound by the contract’s deliverables and penalties. _

 

One by one, the words disappeared. Terrifyingly enough, Ziegler looked on, unimpressed, “That once meant something. Ah, well. Easy come, easy go. But no.” Her voice turned sour, malicious without even trying, “It isn’t what you do  _ for me _ that I am concerned about, Gabriel. It is what you do for yourself that enticed me to this unfortunate decision.”

 

Slowly, Gabriel rose to his feet, eyes strained on the witch and her broom, Ana’s gun, and Jack, “My  _ scoundreling _ , in your own words, has nothing to do with you, Ziegler.” 

 

“Oh, but it  _ could be _ .” She smiled, so gently it sent a chill down his back, “You are powerful, Gabriel,  _ very _ powerful. You possess a number of artifacts that could dominate a whole army if you wish to-...”

 

Gabriel snorted, “If I give in to the price, then sure. Fucking hefty shit that probably would just cost my soul, but hey, who am I to decide?”

 

Angela completely ignored him, “...You cannot be taken by surprise.” Suddenly shook the broom, tossing Jack up like a rag doll inside the glowing orb. Gabriel bit back a growl. “And your own resourcefulness is unmatched.”

 

“So all of this...is because you’re afraid of me overthrowing you?” He couldn’t help the sneer in his voice, “Some powerful witch you are.”

 

“Hmmm...I’d say rightfully paranoid.” She smirked, “I must admit, your motto is something to _ live by _ . But you can keep your garage sale junks. This.  _ This. _ ” Shook Jack again, “Is the real treasure, Gabriel.”

 

“I will come for you, witch.” 

 

Of course, Ziegler wasn’t at all intimidated. She grinned at him again, this time with madness lurking in behind her gaze, “Oh, you will. But every move you make will be foreseen. Every step of the way. Every scheme, every calculation. So yes, yes you will, and I’d like to see you try.” A pause, smirking. “Of course, if others haven’t killed you already by then…”

 

“I do hope you are not counting me in on that.” Ana drawled, “What guarantees you won’t pull the same trickery on me as you did him? Better yet, why should I worry about that when I can eliminate that threat right here, right now?”

 

“Ah, but Ana, my dear.” Ziegler didn’t even bother looking at the Eye of Horus, giggling, “If you pull that trigger, then all that youth would have been for naught. Your immortality will be forfeited.”

 

Surprisingly enough, Ana shrugged, “I figure it is time to find a different contractor. After all, you are not the only one who has ever needed my skillset.”

 

“Heretic.” Ziegler chuckled, “Might as well.”

 

A golden beam lashed out from her broom suddenly, snapping the gun away from Ana’s hand and attempting to strangle the sniper. But Ana’s agility was deceptive based on her appearance. She hopped several feet backward, light as a feather, and her shots would have split Ziegler’s skull in half if the witch’s light tendril didn’t expand into a barrier, protecting its master from harm. All the while, the witch didn’t even turn around once.

 

_ Goodie. _ ..That meant Gabriel was still more of a threat to her than Ana. But he needed her to be distracted and he wasn’t quite sure how much longer Jack could hold out for. The one good thing that came out of this was that Angela couldn’t teleport away either, with Gabriel and Ana watching for her every move. The witch needed an opening to get away safely, especially with such a magically burdened catch. Gabriel didn’t know her that well, but he could guess past her facade. They were both playing a mind game here, trying to hit the correct words before the other did. Spells were but a delicate net of commands, strung together by languages and one’s own wit. A word game, one might say.

 

Gabriel assessed the situation once more. Being a witch, Angela clearly had more active enchantments, most of them woven into her broom over the years and probably on herself for protection, all could be conjured up without vocal commands. Unfortunately for Gabriel, he had one single active enchantment, and it was mostly a close-ranged combat spell. 

 

Perhaps it was risky, but Gabriel decided to change his tactics. After all, every powerful beings, especially the mad ones, had one fatal weakness.

 

Pride.

 

“Is the siren truly worth destroying your connections and reputation, Ziegler?” Gabriel asked, ignoring Jack’s (he couldn’t deal with this idiot anymore) offended glare despite himself still wheezing in the fucking bubble. “Your scheming has involved many powerful beings, some of those even you wouldn’t want to mess with.”

 

“Pawns.” She dismissed him easily, “Their involvement has been a temporal advantage. It is you whom their quarry lies with.”

 

A blue line zipped past, cutting the tentacle assaulting Ana in half. Angela hissed, more out of annoyance than anything, when Hanzo landed beside the sniper.

 

“You  _ dared _ to use me in your pathetic little game, mortal?!” He roared, every bit of a dragon he was. 

 

“Oh, get off it!” Angela sneered, her composure cracking, “You want him dead. I want him dead. Works out for the both of us.”

 

Hanzo clearly disagreed with her. Another arrow was fired, ricocheting against the alley’s grimy walls, slicing through Angela’s magic. Her frustration and anger built up just as rapidly as her shield. Meanwhile, Ana just seemed smug, “Do you not know, witch? Dragons work on their own terms. Isn’t that right, Winston?”

 

The lanky shapeshifter stepped out of the dark, adjusting his glasses tiredly to watch Hanzo’s relentless attacks on Ziegler’s barrier, “I don’t know about that, Ana, but I certainly didn’t break my animosity for a power-drunk witch.”

 

Ana’s laughter was sharp and mirthless as she lifted her rifle. A shot rang out, piercing through the shield Hanzo was having trouble breaking. For a fraction of a second, everything seemed to slow. The bullet grazed Angela, leaving a crimson line on her neck as she shifted away from the trail. Her blue eyes turned dark, almost pitch black, when her magic flared up. Within that single moment, as Ziegler turned her glare at the enemies behind her, Gabriel charged forward. Hell Fire lashed out, but not at the witch. She screeched when the shaft of her broom combusted, and her magic flickered. With one arm, Gabriel grabbed Jack mid-air as he sailed past the siren, the other hand shoved against a smooth surface kept hidden inside his coat.

 

“ _ Tezcatlipoca _ .” Gabriel uttered the word and immediately felt like he was being burnt alive by a chill that was unlike any other. Joy, the Smoking Mirror worked. Both he and Jack were whisked away in a dark wind, melted away from naked eyes. 

 

Once again, it was sheer stubbornness that kept Gabriel’s mind from being overtaken by the freeze burn. He headed West, as fast as his mentality was able in the pain. The Sorcerer pushed forward, gripping onto Jack like the siren was his lifeline, until his vision became spotted and Gabriel had to let go of the obsidian mirror. They plummeted into the sand, Gabriel taking the brunt of the fall, and could only lie eagle-spread, staring up at the light-polluted sky. 

 

Jack’s stirring on top of him brought Gabriel back to the present. The siren’s voice was a raspy, a broken, questioning tune that shoved a knife straight into Gabriel’s gut. Shaking, Gabriel sat up, holding a half-conscious Jack with both arms now as he made his disoriented way towards the water. Even in this mortally wounded state, the Sorcerer could feel the distant resonance of magic. Ana, Hanzo and Winston had no reason to fight Ziegler to the death, and neither did the witch. Her target was, first and foremost, was Gabriel. She wasn’t going to dither around those three for long, and he doubted they would care enough to hold her back. 

 

“ _ Water _ …”

 

His grip on Jack tightened at the weak whisper, “I know. I know.”

 

Jack’s normally cold, smooth scales were burning and clammy. He was slipping away, and Gabriel barely had enough strength to keep the siren up, half-dragged, half-carried him further down the beach. The magic waves were getting closer and closer behind them. Gabriel couldn’t help but cursed, gathering whatever strength he had left to  _ move _ . 

 

_ Just...a little...bit…more! _

 

_ “REYES!” _

 

Gabriel knew what was coming. He could feel it in every fiber of his being. His decision was made in a split second. With what was left in his shattered body, Gabriel curled himself around Jack and  _ jumped _ .

 

Just as intended, the blast hit him square in the back. Ziegler’s attack sent them both flying, crashing into the sea’s dark embrace. In the last shred of his consciousness, Gabriel couldn’t help but laughed, wasting whatever left of precious oxygen.

 

_ It could have been so much simpler. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! (Don't blame me, blame the person who told me to torture the feels XD)


	3. Chapter 3

Jack always knew he and Gabriel would end up together. It wasn’t a belief, his desperate hope or even stubbornness. Jack just knew, as his kind always had. His Gift told him, many, many moons ago, when Gabriel made Jack’s laughter tinkling the cavernous emptiness of his home.

 

The Gift, for all its greatness and curses, never told Jack how.

 

Around them, the sea churned, thrashing in a primal rage. The wind flared, slashing into the water and clouded the sky. The air sparked with statics, hailing the arrival of a storm. Nature bended itself in his grief,  as Jack held onto the one being that he cared for more than himself.

 

And yet, with all that display of power, the sea where Jack kept Gabriel was gentle. The very epicentre of all his wrath was calm, stiller than a lake in autumn’s twilight. There wasn’t even a sound to be heard. Neither was their breathing.

 

Jack held Gabriel’s unmoving body above the water, keeping the Sorcerer’s head to his chest, when the pearl glowed a soothing blue. The siren would never admit aloud, but there had been times he wanted to give up. The Sight was never, had never been, wrong but there were simply too many variations of the story. The roads were muddled together and intertwined with many possibilities. And the Sight was never great with telling which way to go. It only ever showed the results, as it had no conscience or thought of its own, thus having no care for how such results would be achieved. In a sense, Jack controlled the Sight just as much as it controlled him, and that had led to more than just a few complications.

 

For a long, long time, Jack thought Gabriel would never feel the same towards him. By some measures, that was fine by Jack. Sirens and humans were different after all. Jack wouldn’t have minded even if Gabriel never loved him back, as long as there was closure. Trust was farfetched, but it was something Jack would treasure even more than love. It wasn’t something to be earned by a siren, as bewitching and notorious as his kind was known for. And it would have seemed like Jack would never get either of those, as all his attempts and efforts were brushed away.

 

...Until Gabriel gave him this pearl.

 

Jack, for all his ignorance with the rest of the word, was not oblivious. An eternity was a long time, and for a solitary creature like him, there wasn’t much else to do besides learning.

 

_“...It’s beautiful."_

 

_Gabriel looked almost offended at Jack’s delayed response, “Beautiful?! It’s priceless! How many pearls do you know is that big?”_

 

_Jack quirked an eyebrow up at him. Gabriel didn’t think Jack was that fucking dumb, did he? But the siren played it off with a smile, “It is truly one of a kind.”_

 

_“...Not quite.”_

 

_The pause confirmed Jack’s suspicion. But where was Gabriel going with this? He had never shown Jack any of his loots before. Much less letting Jack touch any of it. Dark eyes averting, the Sorcerer continued._

 

_“It’s not one of a kind, but it certainly is rare.”_

 

_Silence stretched. Jack hummed under his breath, turning the smooth, flawless pearl in his hands. It was the size of a pufferfish, glistening with the most exquisite of lustre. But it wouldn’t have been so special if it wasn’t for the faintest hum of power, singing softly to Jack in the centremost of its core. Gabriel never told him where he got it from, and Jack could only assume Gabriel knew what it was just as Jack did._

 

_Yet, the Sorcerer made no move to take the pearl back, no matter the time ticking by. And slowly, realisation dawned upon Jack._

 

_“...Thank you.” His voice was small, and Jack would have been able to come up with a much more adequate response if he wasn’t so shocked. Gabriel’s lips were a firm line, and his nod was curt as he disappeared in a billow of smoke._

 

_The pearl never came up during any of their later conversations, despite Jack’s newfound boldness in his flirtation and Gabriel’s gradual indulgence. The topic seemed fragile, a delicate note in either of their turbulent life. It was an uncharted island in the discovering journey of their relationship, and Jack was afraid it would pop like a bubble if even the barest of mentions surfaced._

 

_For all his abilities, Jack knew he would never be able to use the pearl properly. And he knew Gabriel did too. It was perhaps a lapse of judgement on the Sorcerer’s part, but it could also be part of Gabriel’s scheming. But just like Jack, the Sorcerer was far too smart to let go of something so powerful, and he knew he couldn’t chain Jack to him with an offering so mismatched in magical origins. The Sorcerer couldn’t have expected Jack to guard it either, as the pearl’s owner could cross all of Jack’s paths and more. It wasn’t a logical choice to give it to Jack, and perhaps the siren was being too hopeful, reading into things that weren’t there._

 

_Still, Jack took the twinkle of joy in Gabriel’s eyes as a victory, when the Sorcerer first saw him wearing the pearl proudly on his chest._

 

Jack leaned down, touching his forehead with Gabriel’s. His silver braids fanned out around both their shoulders, and his long tail coiled around Gabriel’s legs. Webbed hand caressed the Sorcerer’s cheek, his skin an ashen colour as an aftermath of using the Smoking Mirror. Having an undisputable amount of time to live did not make Gabriel’s flesh any less mortal, and Jack was witnessing the evidence, not for the first time. His heart twisted at the changes, and he held the Sorcerer a bit tighter, ignoring the storm outside of their quiet zone.

 

For all their intellectual skills, all their knowledge and all their experiences, the two of them had been _so stupid_.

 

“You can’t hide in there forever, Songbird!”

 

Sirens had been portrayed as many things in the past. Many of those were romanticised and a long stretch from the truth. Time had a way with corroding facts, misting them into work of fiction and fading them into obscurity. Gabriel might know a lot, and Ziegler some more, but they could never dream of grasping the mere concept of what Jack truly was.

 

He remembered the olden days, when the songs were not simply lures and preys were not for eating. Their songs once soared under the sun, in windless days and in the ocean’s calm. And in the end of those songs was death. Heaps of corpses rotting away, rags of skin shrivelling on their bones. The songs were for pleasure and for love, in its more primal and twisted form, in an obsession that enthralled not the flesh but the soul.

 

But Ziegler did not deserve that kind of beauty. It was too poetic, even for her.

 

Jack felt the storm around them building up, and he could also feel the magic fighting against it. The witch was coming and the siren waited for her, with his heart cradled in his arms.

 

Sometimes, Jack wondered why he was the only one left. Why he had persisted through the changes when the sky wasn’t open for them any longer, and adapted when most of his kind couldn’t. Why he hadn’t flung himself to his own death like his kind had, when he found the one who could resist his song. Perhaps it was the Sight, but it also could be his own stubbornness, his own curiosity in the ways he could take to his destination. Jack embraced the change when his kind shunned it, taking their legacy down to their watery graves.

 

Meeting Gabriel was the biggest test of his lengthy life. Jack could have followed his instinct, could have ended their story there, but he didn’t. He did not follow through with the whispers singing in his ancient blood, simply because he knew Gabriel did not get away unaffected. The Sight gave the siren certainty of that. Jack knew, even then, a piece of him had lodged in Gabriel’s mind when he left, a piece that could never be forgotten or denied.

 

One thing for sure, the Sorcerer didn’t make anything easier.

 

“There you are~.” Ziegler sang as she pierced through the wind cocoon. Whistling with a manic grin, she looked down upon them from her broom, “Fancy. Hiding in the eye of the storm. But that isn’t going to save you, Songbird. Or him, at that matter.”

 

Jack was passive. He merely lifted his head from Gabriel, staring up at the witch, blue eyes the very reflection of the sea. The siren was unmoved. Silent. Just as the complete unnatural havoc around them. For a fraction of a second, Angela’s smirk faltered, before returning with all its viciousness.

 

Her laughter echoed against the wind, “Nowhere to run, unless you want to drown what is left of him. How ironic, caught and stranded in the middle of the sea.”

 

Jack didn’t even blink. Ziegler, in her arrogant elation, thought she was immune to the magic that birthed the siren. Now, what did that mortal write about them again? Ah…

 

_“Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence. And though admittedly such a thing has never happened, still it is conceivable that someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence certainly never. Against the feeling of having triumphed over them by one's own strength, and the consequent exaltation that bears down everything before it, no earthly powers could have remained intact.”_

 

Angela Ziegler, hubristic in belief of her power’s absolution, willingly plunged into the weave of Jack’s allure. In no other place was a siren song more enticing than in the silence of the sea and under the open sky. He watched as she rose her hand, sparks of energy gathering with madness dancing in her eyes, drunk in her impending victory.

 

A kiss was placed against Gabriel’s cold brows. And Jack began to sing.

 

There was no existing word to describe the sound he made. It was the sound of silk and spun gold. It was the sound of rain, dancing upon blades of grass and twirling upon river pebbles. It was the sound of filled sails, of wind rolling beneath the eagle’s wings. It was the sound of a lover coming home, of a child basking in his father’s warmth. It was the sound of bread rising, the sound of nectar gracing the tip of one’s tongue.

 

His song was incredibly sweet, an inhale that filled one’s chest to the brim, so full it hurt.

 

It was the song of those who were lost at sea. It was the song of desperation, of a writhing yearning without ever finding an answer. It was the song of broken promises, of slipping words and forgotten memories, of the prickling pain that tugged at the furthest corner of one’s heart. It was the song of sickness, a loss that could never be turned around. It was a song of tears, shed with the rain upon the casket of a loved one.

 

It was just as irresistibly sweet as it was sad. It was not a devastation of the flesh, but a lolling melody that ate into the soul with a lethargic fatality, a foreteller of death and corruption. It chipped away at the spirit, an offer of mantic truths, yet at the same time a false promise that she could live to tell them. There was no defence or attack she could come up with against this, for the Song of the Sirens could pierce through everything, and the purest form of it was never meant for any particular sense, nor was it a form of magic that human could comprehend. The Song was not tangible enough to fight, but it wrapped itself around the most basic components that made a being’s conscience.

 

Sirens were the Muses of the lower world, continually calling on Persephone with joy and sorrow that could bury the world whole . And Jack was the last of this legacy.

 

Angela was caught frozen in his song, her magic fizzled out and her spell dead on the edge of her lips. Lower and lower she went, lured in deeper and deeper, until the tip of her toes touched the water. With one hand, Jack reached out to her and he didn’t stop singing, even as their fingers connected. He could see her struggling behind blue eyes, weaker and weaker as her spirit slowly lost into the rhythm. He saw the moment it dissolved, the moment the light danced out of her soul. Gently, he lowered her to the water, where she lay floating with a smile, a single tear rolled down her rosy cheek.

 

A pity.

 

Jack withdrew, the last note of his song lingered like a soaring bird. A feather-like touch to the pearl had the storm subsiding. He had gathered quite an audience, it seemed. Mortals, eyes glossy and features contorting to numerous expressions, crowded the beach. They were enchanted, but not to the same bewitching degree Ziegler was, as per intended with the storm. They would live, and would break out of their stupor eventually.

 

Among these, the only ones remained conscious of themselves, even though a bit dazed, were the three adversaries Gabriel had encountered. The Eye of Horus was the first to regain her sharpness, keeping as far away from the waves as possible, and pulled both the dragon and the shapeshifter back when Jack swam towards them.

 

“You have something of mine.” Hanzo pointed out bluntly, ignoring Angela’s body being pushed at them onto the sand.

 

“Indeed, I do.” Jack hummed, keeping his lower half submerged and Gabriel close. Webbed hand placed upon the pearl, the siren sighed out a quiet thank you, before easing it out of the socket and offering it to the dragon. Wordlessly, Hanzo took back his possession, and stepped out of the siren’s reach, eying him warily. Jack couldn’t help but let a smirk play on his lips when his hooded eyes glanced over to Winston, making him shift uncomfortably.

 

“I do not know what Gabriel has stolen from you, but I will make sure he send it back unharmed.”

 

The shapeshifter’s nod was rigid, not wanting to hold a conversation.

 

“Is she…?”

 

“No. She isn’t.” Jack answered Ana softly, their eyes met above Ziegler’s unmoving form, “But she will never be whole again.”

 

He had stopped before the song completely shut her physical functions down. With her spirit broken however, it was perhaps a fate worse than death. The Eye of Horus studied the siren, aged visage held back much of her true thoughts.

 

“Words will spread. Angela has never been quite into... _friendship_ , but there are others that will seek you out. A siren, the very last one of all, is worth more than just a few prophecies.”

 

Jack’s chuckles rolled out, teasing above the wind just enough to stiffen their shoulders, “Let them come.”

 

He could hear it, the quickening in Ana’s pulse as she too laughed. With one last grin that was brighter than the sun, Jack turned with Gabriel in his arms, signaling the beginning of his journey due West.

 

The road was near its end and, this time, Jack would make sure everything would fall to its proper place.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel woke up to a spinning ceiling and a massive migraine. He tried, and failed, to lift his head as any attempt was hit in with a wave of nausea. Immediately, his heart rate picked up, hating to be in such a vulnerable position. There was an unpleasant ringing in his head, pulling a layer of fog over his coherence, and his entire body felt like led. The aching of his recently acquired wounds returned full-force, making it even harder to focus. Knowing the more he struggled, the longer it would take to recover his senses, Gabriel kept himself flat on the mattress, inhaling and exhaling through his nose, forcing his heart rate under control.

 

It took longer than Gabriel wanted, and when his mind cleared, the memories began to cloud over. His muscles stiffened, remembering Ziegler’s sudden appearance, the conversation they had. The burning...

 

 _Jack_.

 

Gabriel sprang up, letting out a sharp shout when he felt like his skin was being pulled apart. Alarms sounded off in his partially coherent mind, Gabriel glared down at his bandaged hands. His torso was also wrapped in white, and it felt like his face was padded as well. His vision was clear however, and it didn’t take long for the Sorcerer to notice there was another presence in the room.

 

It was strange. After everything, of all the years they had known each other, it was always hard to imagine Jack being so quiet. Sitting in an old-fashioned wooden tub just an arm's length away, it was almost comical how wide-eyed the siren was, staring at Gabriel with a mixture of feelings. His eyes were darker in this setting, and the fire from the hearth made his silver braids shimmer. The bath couldn’t contain his tail, spilling fluttering fins all over the rustic floor. Taunt shoulders drew together, the siren was trying to make himself appear as small as possible, as webbed delicate hands gripped the edge of the tub tightly. Jack was anxious, evident in the occasional flicker of his wings and the thin line of his lips.

 

For the longest of time, Gabriel wasn’t sure what to do. They were not captured, that much was certain after an overall glance of the room’s interior. They were at Reinhardt’s inn of all places, and at least Gabriel could let the more vigilant part of his head rest knowing that. What bothered the Sorcerer was how this had come to be, as a chunk of his memory was blank. The last thing he remembered was the blast, and then blissful darkness.

 

Gabriel didn’t quite like it when he couldn’t remember something that directly concerned his well-being. The cocktail of sadness and anxiety in Jack’s gaze made him even more uneasy. The silence slowly crept up his spine with its icy hand, spreading so much discomfort it shadowed his physical pain. Yet it felt like if either of them dared to break this illusionary peace, everything would be thrown into chaos once more.

 

But wasn’t that the nature of their relationship supposed to be? To dare to venture into the unknown, never looking back? Gabriel felt like he had denied himself for so long, had been scrounging for excuses as soon as he realised, he had forgotten what it should be.

 

Extending a hand towards Jack, Gabriel left his palm up in a wordless question. There was a drop of unexpectancy in Jack’s eyes, stirred in with the prominent sadness that clenched Gabriel’s heart in a too-familiar way. But the Sorcerer didn’t speak, waiting with an overwhelming amount of patience that he didn’t even know he possessed. Only to almost sag in relief when Jack’s hand fell in his, the siren shedding his tail and almost stumbled into him. With his face buried in Gabriel’s abdomen, his naked body trailing on the floor and his arms wrapped around the Sorcerer, Jack took shuddering intakes of breath. In turn, Gabriel bowed over the siren, his chin tucking into soft curls that smelt of storm and sunshine.

 

There was much to talk about, they both knew that. But now, it just felt nice to forget for a moment, to let go of stubbornness and pride, and to accept that yes, _this_ felt right.

 

Gabriel ended up staying at Reinhardt’s tavern for another two weeks. It was an annoyance, being bedridden and having to depend on others to do the most minimal of tasks. Though Gabriel was proud of himself for not losing it when the bandages were removed, and he discovered that his skin had now turned an ashen grey. Blotchy and cold to the touch, he looked almost like a corpse, except that Gabriel was still very much alive.

 

Such was the consequence of using Tezcatlipoca’s mirror. A tool of a God was never meant to be controlled by mortal hands, no matter how powerful said mortal was. Gabriel had collected many of these artifacts during his lifetime, but employing them to his purpose was always out of the question. And the Gods were always particularly cruel with their punishments. Things like the Smoking Mirror didn’t often come with a manual instruction and to know what hefty price awaited him beyond the veil would be a challenge in its own rights.

 

Gabriel supposed he was lucky. At least the ancient Aztec artifact didn’t tear his soul apart or kill him. He simply looked different, like a creature of the night. It was a small price to pay compared to what Ziegler had had in store for both Gabriel and Jack.

 

The siren himself did not stay at the tavern for long. He left the morning after Gabriel woke with the pair of glasses the Sorcerer had stolen from the shapeshifter Winston. In all honesty, there was a tiny bit of guilt in him when Jack disappeared behind closed door. Not because of his own thievery, but it just didn’t sit right with Gabriel, knowing that someone else had to take on the responsibility of cleaning up his mess. Granted, Jack played a role that led up to this, however the siren had made up more than enough with how he dealt with Angela Ziegler.

 

They never got a chance to really talk it out. After the turmoil of emotions subsided, Jack had quickly recalled the events Gabriel missed. It was factual with not much emotion attached, and Gabriel couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Part of him expected for everything to go back to normal, with Jack flirting at him shamelessly and Gabriel would somewhat be more yielding to the siren’s advances. But Jack was rigid, his speech a stilted formality that sounded wrong in Gabriel’s ears. The Sorcerer didn’t bring it up however, reasoning to himself that it was simply not the time to, that they both needed some time to sort their own feelings out. But when Jack disappeared behind the door, a small, sad smile on his lips, Gabriel felt like a fucking coward.

 

At least Reinhardt didn’t start another impromptu therapy session with him. The only person who came to help Gabriel with his bandages and bringing him other necessities were his niece, Bridget. Quiet girl, that one. Even though her eyes were full of questions, it was obvious her uncle told her to keep away. Good. The Wilhelm should stick with what they were good with instead of meddling with other people’s business.

 

On a more unfortunate note, Sombra was quick to catch onto the news. Gabriel had made the mistake of answering her first call, tired of being cooped up and desperate for more information. Of course, the tavern had its own influx of visitors, but the Sorcerer hadn’t lived for so long making a fool of himself. Laying low was the smartest move, especially after what Sombra told him.

 

After a long rambling with the last word sticking to the one before it in Spanish, that even Gabriel couldn’t make head or tail of, the witch finally calmed down enough to wheeze, _“Amigo, it’s every-fucking-where!”_

 

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, “ _What exactly_ is every-fucking-where?”

 

“ _You and your siren!”_

 

“Not m-...” Gabriel blurted out, stopped himself, then sighed heavily through his nose. Oh, who was he even kidding…”Give me the details.”

 

And she did. The more he listened, the more Gabriel wanted to punch a puppy. News of a siren existing and so powerful he thwarted one of the most powerful witches in the world. The verdict on this event was split. There was a group who rejoiced in Jack’s victory over Ziegler, another said he should be hunted down (for profitable reasons, which made Gabriel’s blood boil), and another who thought it was best to leave it as it was. There were other mixed opinions, but Gabriel tuned that out half way into the conversation. While Sombra had always been great with information, she also had a knack for gossips, and over the years Gabriel had acquired a special sense to detect whenever she was spouting “words on the street” instead of anything of use to him.

 

 _“...-ends well I guess. Though, I gotta ask~.”_ Her voice suddenly turned mischievous, taking Gabriel’s lengthy silence as an invitation to barrel on, “ _What’s your relationship status now?”_

 

“Single with a side of singed flesh.” Gabriel answered dryly.

 

 _“Oh come on! You can’t tell me nothing happened after that fiasco! I mean he gave a big fuck you to animosity and pulled the biggest, most badass trick in the bag to protect_ you! _With all your flirting, I refuse to believe you two haven’t boned already!”_

 

“You really need to go out more. It doesn’t work that way, _Sombra._ ”

 

“ _It’s Olivia. And I go out plenty, thanks.”_ She brushed off his indignant (and surprised) grumbles easily, _“AND, it does work that way,_ Gabe. _Why you gotta cockblock yourself? Jack’s a total hoot! And he voluntarily goes out of his way to fix your fuck-ups! Do you know how hard it was to find that dumb ape???”_

 

Gabriel was a hair away from chucking the phone across the room when he heard the last bit, “...I never told you about Winston.”

 

The other end went quiet. The Sorcerer groaned, his annoyance increased tenfolds, “He contacted you, didn’t he.”

 

_“Uh...something like that?”_

 

Gabriel growled. Sombra bristled, “ _Oi, amigo, do you know how fucking scary that was finding a siren of all things showing up at your super secret hideout??? Like, nobody’s supposed to know where I am, and there he was, just poof!”_

 

“He doesn’t go _poof, Sombra!_ ” The Sorcerer felt his headache returning, “Why do I even bother...When did this happen? What did he tell you?”

 

_“Uhm...Six days ago. Nothing much, just ask me to point him to the ape man. I kinda freaked out a bit and tried to blow him up?”_

 

“You _what?!_ ”

 

 _“Relax! He was nice about it though. Literally sang me to, well,_ relax. _Left with a smile and told me to bill you.”_

 

She cackled at the end despite Gabriel’s outraged mumbles. Even though the conversation with _Olivia_ had been infuriating, it somewhat reassured the Sorcerer of Jack’s well-being. Gabriel knew it was probably stupid of him, but he half-expected Jack to come back after meeting with Winston. But another week passed, and the siren never showed. It was safer that way, Gabriel told himself. The Wilhelm’s estate might be a sanctuary, but greed and wrath could easily cloud one’s judgement.

 

Yet, Gabriel couldn’t help but glance over the mass in the tavern the day he left. His eyes met Reinhardt’s over the bar then, and Gabriel pulled up his mask, leaving without the chance of any conversation.

 

With Ziegler gone and his contract nulled to his favour, Gabriel had nothing in his hands but time. He wanted to go back to his thievery ways, but with the incident so close, sticking his head out would be idiotic. Gabriel never stayed at one point for long however, as his job kept him on the move. It would be a good idea to find a place to lay low and wait out the waves, but the Sorcerer had none of that. Reinhardt’s might be safe, but staying there for an extended period of time would mark Gabriel as a refugee.

 

Gabriel didn’t have it in him anymore to deny that he frequented bodies of water anywhere he could. He would teleport to beaches out on a whim, looking out to the churning sea with this wretched feeling in his heart, waiting and waiting. He went to the places of their rendezvous, hovering at the edge of the sand, ears mistaking every rustle of the waves to be a whisper. A gust of wind could be a distant song and any flicker of water could be a luminescent fin. And, every time without fail, Gabriel left with his heart in pieces, lost in the folds of his own internal conflicts.

 

He finally understood it, the feeling of yearning for something without an answer, a sadness that he had spent almost an eternity avoiding.

 

Such irony.

 

It was unreasonable of him to wait for Jack to come back. No...The siren wouldn’t come to Gabriel, knowing that there wasn’t a reward at the end of the road. He had done enough for the Sorcerer without even the smallest bit of gratitude. Gabriel had no rights to expect Jack to come back. He had no rights to seek out the siren either.

 

Still, Gabriel stood at the edge of water, a great sigh rumbling in his chest at every departure. After his departure, he hadn’t contacted any of his acquaintances, but even those were not many. Other than Sombra and Reinhardt, there were only two individuals that Gabriel spoke to on a professional level. Both were highly dangerous and both had no interest in personal affairs. And then there were these kids, who kind of looked up to him, kind of tried to stay away from his paths. Too young, at least in Gabriel’s standards, and too hopeful.

 

There was no-one Gabriel knew who would truly understand his situation, no-one like him…

 

_The last of his kind._

 

An idea came to mind when Gabriel stopped by a grocery shop for his travels. He hesitated at the thoughts at first. _Too risky_ , his ever-paranoid mind whispered. Gabriel had never done anything without a plan, a backup for that, and then more.

 

But most of those plans happened because of Jack.

 

Resolution steeled, Gabriel mapped out a route that he hadn’t used for well over a thousand years. Spontaneous _missions_ were not something that he often indulged in, everything must always be carried out with strict protocols, especially when the stakes were usually so high. When the Sorcerer’s bubble sunk down beneath the waves, he couldn’t help but think this was his most precarious journey yet. Gabriel didn’t know what the future would hold, pressing on alone amidst the empty blue.

 

Jack’s dwelling was one of those places that fascinated Gabriel, but the Sorcerer would go out of his ways to avoid. It might even have nothing to do with the predicament of their relationship, it simply because of the location. Jack’s lair composed of spires of rock, sharp, white as bone and gnarled. It rose in a single cluster from the depths below, so dark one couldn’t hope to see the bottom. The surface was a shimmering veil above, so far out of reach it seemed like he was drowning. It was nothing close to the fairy tales humans fancied about the sea folks. It was mysterious and had a certain allure, yes, but it was also menacing, an unyielding warning to those who dared to venture close.

 

The siren chose his abode well. The spires were far away from trade routes and human civilizations, veiled from naked eyes. It was high enough to catch an occasional sunbeam, but isolated enough to guarantee vision of anyone who approached. Last time Gabriel was here, he studied the entire layout with the help of Sombra’s predecessor and entered with a camouflage. Although the enchantment broke once he was inside, Gabriel still had the element of surprise in his hand.

 

This time however, the Sorcerer came with little to no defense. Sure, the lining of his coat might have various pocket dimensions that contained his hoard (so he loved practical puns, hang him) but Gabriel had no intention of using them. He wasn’t even sure he had ever wanted to use any of them against Jack in the first place.

 

The entrance was still where he remembered it, a thousand years later. But instead of barging in, Gabriel stopped, hovered nearby and waited. Jack must have known he was here already.

 

_If Jack was in there to begin with…_

 

This was why he _hated_ following impromptu ideas. For Gabriel, it often led to empty hands and frustration. The uncertainty of the outcome had always been the Sorcerer’s biggest pet peeve. Gabriel Reyes was a man of purpose and even though he had spent the last month wandering around without one, he would like this one time to achieve _something_.

 

Even if Gabriel himself didn’t even know what that _something_ could be.

 

But he was sure, or at least he thought he was, that Jack was here. Gabriel heard the quiet humming as he dove into the sea, distant and melancholic, which died down as soon as he closed in on the spires. Once upon a time, the silence of the siren was all he wanted, for the song was a distraction and a threat. Thinking back, Gabriel’s younger, bull-headed self was so arrogant he thought his scheming and studies alone could overcome a magic so ancient as Jack’s.

 

A siren’s song was a wonder in its sweet treachery, pouring honeyed death into the veins of unfortunate souls. A siren’s silence was an omen, a cold grasp that caressed one’s heart and broke it.

 

In the emptiness surrounding him, Gabriel’s mind wrapped itself around his sole purpose, just as he always did before every of his self-imposed missions.

 

“I come with a proposal.”

 

Silence.

 

“The recent events and the time inbetween had given me some insights. I have taken this opportunity to reflect and analyse the situation.” Wasn’t entirely truthful but Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty. Jack couldn’t know how irregular his train of thoughts had been. “Our...interactions have never been fair for you, and I would like to amend that. If you would give me a chance to.”

 

The silence was deafening. Even his breathing and heartbeats were swallowed up by the endless water. Gabriel’s eyes strained on the darkness of the entrance, his hands clammy. For the first time in over five centuries, nervousness spiked within him. What if Jack wasn’t here and Gabriel was just being stubborn for the sake of it? What if Jack was here and he didn’t want to see him?

 

_What if Jack killed him for all he had done?_

 

Gabriel closed his eyes. No, he had to move past that. The paranoia of being eaten was simply an excuse.

 

“Jack, I...I’m sorry.”

 

He wasn’t going to let his pride get in the way anymore.

 

“What I did...how I have been treating you wasn’t fair.”

 

Saying it aloud, in a way, helped Gabriel admit it, not just to Jack, but to himself as well.

 

“You were right. You have done a lot for me, just for a piece of my meagre time. I used your kindness to my convenience. I was...still am, too arrogant and too much of a coward.”

 

But this wasn’t just about him.

 

“I never let you in. I couldn’t admit to myself that I let you grow on me. And when I did realise that, I was ignorant. I buried it away.”

 

Despite what Reinhardt or Sombra might say, Gabriel wasn’t dense. He knew what he felt the moment he felt it. He tried to stop it. Scoffing at his own weakness. Telling himself that was all a game, an enchantment carefully woven over time.

 

“I didn’t want to accept that I fell for you on my own volition. I _had_ to place the blame on someone else, _you_. Thinking back, there are a lot of reasons as to why I acted the way I did.”

 

To a human, Gabriel had lived a long life. He had had family, he had fallen in love. All taken away by the passage of time. Subconsciously, when Gabriel realised his feelings for Jack, he pushed the siren away out of fear. Not of Jack, but of losing him. Irrational, perhaps, but it was his immediate response.

 

“But I didn’t come here to defend myself.”

 

Gabriel wasn’t going to start a pity party for himself. Not his style. And not what Jack wanted.

 

“I do care for you, Jack. And I do trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come every year. I wouldn’t have planned our meetings. I wouldn’t have listened to your songs.”

 

It wasn’t his flesh that Gabriel was afraid of being consumed.

 

“I didn’t want to admit it, but I did enjoy your company. Perhaps just as much as you did. And I…”

 

_I understand that you don’t want to see me anymore._

 

“I just want you to know that regardless of the circumstances or how I chose to express myself then...The feeling is mutual.”

 

Or it was. Depending on how Jack felt about this whole thing. About _Gabriel._

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t let you know.”

 

 _For making you feel lesser than what you truly are to me_.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate the time you have given me.”

 

 _For taking this long to let it be known_.

 

“I shouldn’t have let it come to this. I shouldn’t have denied you when I knew I haven’t given up to you willingly.”

 

 _I regret hurting you_.

 

“Jack, I…”

 

He cut himself off, pinching the bridge of his nose and breathed heavily, wasting precious oxygen. Gabriel felt like a fool. The silence weighed heavily on his chest, suffocating and despairing. Jack was in there, Gabriel knew, because he could feel it, he could feel the siren’s presence, watching, _judging_. The spires’ entrance glared back at Gabriel, imposing and unrelenting.

 

Funny how this time was so different from the first time he was here. Gabriel was so full of himself, he hadn’t been at all shaken up by the odd location. The knowledge of a siren guarding the hoard just made him even more egotistic. It was a challenge to him, so recently acquired his supposed immortality, he thought he could slay a God.

 

Gabriel remembered being caught by Jack, wrapped up in the siren’s trap. Jack certainly had wanted to kill him then, trapped and had nowhere to go. The siren certainly hadn’t tried hard enough, though. Gabriel remembered being annoyed, slightly terrified, and then smug when the siren’s first initial attack couldn’t break through the bubble. And, of course, panic. He hadn’t thought his newly found immortality would end so soon, that he would be buried in a watery grave.

 

He couldn’t let the siren know he was afraid, though. Gabriel would be damned if he gave his pride up.

 

A smile played at the corner of his lips, remembering the moment. Fond and bittersweet, Gabriel could still recall Jack’s chiming laughter, carrying so much joy his heart broke.

 

Folding his legs, the Sorcerer sat down in his bubble. He had enough air another hour and a half, so might as well get comfortable. Gabriel didn’t want to leave the entrance however, as Jack might sling away when he floated up for air. Perhaps he could modify the spell a little, creating a channel to the surface to renew his oxygen? Or perhaps he could reverse the molecule, refreshing the supply? Either way, it would take a lot of power, especially when Gabriel wasn’t exactly an expert on anything that had to do with science and nature.

 

Gabriel patted his pockets, pulling out an energy bar. At least he packed, and these things were far more convenient than the chunky, awful ratios and dry crackers back in the days…

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

If this was any other situation, Gabriel would have jumped. He almost did, but the relief of hearing Jack’s voice, even when the siren in question was nowhere to be seen, was overwhelming. But the Sorcerer didn’t let it show. Instead, he casually peeled back the plastic wrapper.

 

“Having a snack.” Gabriel chomped down onto the peanuts and chocolate grain, “Want some?”

 

Jack didn’t laugh like he had hoped. But there was sigh and, suddenly, the sounds returned all at once. Rushing currents, lapping water, even a distant whale song. A chill went down Gabriel’s spine at this display of power. This was a good sign however, as Jack was at least willing to talk.

 

“What do you want?”

 

His tone wasn’t icy or snappy, just...tired. Gabriel winced, but kept his voice even, “How are you?”

 

Jack didn’t answer for a long moment, “Really?”

 

“You kinda disappeared so I’m concerned.”

 

“We typically don’t see each other a whole year after Halloween.”

 

Gabriel gawked at the siren’s disembodied voice, “Are you being serious?” A mix of anger, frustration and exasperation rose within him, but the Sorcerer gritted teeth, took a deep breath, and pushed it all down. “Just want to know if you’re ok after the incident.”

 

Another long pause, “...I’m fine.”

 

He couldn’t believe it. Here he was, pouring his heart out, and that was _all_ Jack answered his with???

 

“Wait...Are you sulking right now?”

 

There was a note of indignance in the siren’s voice, “I beg your pardon?”

 

Raising an eyebrow, Gabriel listed off of his fingers, “Well, I mean I came to have a heart-to-heart with you, and at first you definitely seemed mad at me, and now that I was done being sappy, you finally talk, but don’t want to come out from wherever you’re hiding. Plus I heard the term “I’m fine” is always a sign for trouble.”

 

There was a grunt, so different from Jack’s usual elegant tone of voice, it made Gabriel smirk, “Why are you such a _child?”_

 

“Negative.” The Sorcerer grinned, “I’m not the one hiding.”

 

Jack went silent. Sobering up, Gabriel cleared his throat and awkwardly crinkled the empty wrapper, “I...ah. I can leave if you want me to.”

 

“...No. That won’t be necessary.”

 

Out he went, swishing tail left a luminescent trail in the darkness. He was paler in this lighting, and he wasn’t adorned with all the jewels Gabriel was used to seeing him in. The braids were pulled back, weaving around the base of his horns. His chest was bare, toned and dotted with scars. Without the decorations, Jack’s bulk was compact and all angles. A true predator, dangerous and mesmerising.

 

“Jack…”

 

The siren in question looked away, silver-blue eyes downcast, “You have to make up your mind.”

 

Gabriel blinked, “Pardon?”

 

Pale brows furrowed, still refusing to look at Gabriel, Jack spoke, “Less than two moon circles ago, you were adamant about not getting any closer than you were with me. I understand what you have spoken during the incident has been out of anger, but your impression of me has been rather clear. Why do you bother coming all the way here? You have never physically sought me out. If you are wondering about our deal, then you should not have to worry. The Witch wou-”

 

“Damn it, Jack! That has _nothing to do with it!”_

 

“Then what does?” Jack finally looked at him, chest puffed up to challenge Gabriel’s frustration, “You have always wanted to keep it professional. The slip up last time was my fault entirely, and I assume full responsibility for it.”

 

Oh, this was becoming too much...“Have you heard nothing I said?!”

 

Jack’s eyes went downcast again, lips tightened into a stubborn line. Gabriel rubbed his face, the urge to punch something resurfaced. But then a thought wormed its way into his outrage, and the Sorcerer froze.

 

“Jack...I didn’t say those things just because I almost lost you. Well, that certainly helped kicked my head into admitting them, but…” He swallowed dryly, his stomach twisted in knots, “Damn it , Jack! I didn’t say those things because I want to use you, I...Fuck! Like I said, I shouldn’t have acted the way I did, I shouldn’t have denied my feelings, denied _you_. I…”

 

Frustrated hand rubbed his cropped scalp, it was Gabriel who avoided Jack’s gaze this time, peering up from long lashes.

 

“I’m really not good with this kind of thing.” He confessed, a whisper under his breath, more to himself than the siren. Jack sighed, and Gabriel would have laughed at the bubbles coming out of his nose if he wasn’t so emotionally torn. With an elegant flick of the tail, Jack approached, webbed hand placing against the Sorcerer’s bubble. Blinking, Gabriel’s eyes dragged from slender fingers to drawn brows, and he, too, mirrored the motion.

 

“I must admit, I was not prepared for this.” Jack chuckled faintly.

 

A tentative sense of relief washed over him, Gabriel shrugged, “Neither was I. Sort of.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yeah. Had this speech prepared on my way here. All business and shit. Kinda got, ah...carried away with the _emotions._ ” He gagged. Jack laughed, a bit more at ease.

 

“Practice makes perfect.”

 

Gabriel made a face, “No thanks. I’m good for another thousand years or so. Not even my last wife was able to make me this mushy.”

 

An eyebrow quirked up, curious, “You had a wife?”

 

“I had a family.” Gabriel corrected, his voice softened, “A long, long time ago.”

 

He didn’t need to go in length for Jack to understand what happened. They shared a moment of companionable silence, content to let their hands touch through the barrier.

 

“So what was it?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Your proposal.”

 

Gabriel stared at Jack for a moment before his memory got a jolt, “Oh, that. I was thinking for every question I ask, you’d get a reward.”

 

“Oh?” The corner of Jack’s lips twitched upward, “And what would this _reward_ of yours be?”

 

The Sorcerer huffed, feeling like a fool again, “Like I said, wasn’t quite prepared. Was hoping you might have an idea.”

 

Jack’s laughter tinkled, both his hands were on the bubble, “Oh, Master Reyes, you are treading into dangerous territory here. Don’t you know it’s not wise to give a siren so much power?”

 

“Please.” Gabriel smirked, falling easily back into their banter pattern, “Danger is my middle name.”

 

“Is it now? I never knew that.” Jack cocked his head playfully, his braids and fins fluttered with his movements. Feigning thoughtfulness, “To think about it, I don’t know a lot about you either.”

 

“What would you like to know?” Gabriel blurted out without thinking. He caught himself, but it was too late. Even Jack didn’t seem to believe what he heard, but he certainly caught Gabriel’s hesitation. Seeing the siren visibly deflate, Gabriel cursed inwardly.

 

_Ah, to hell with it._

 

“Would you like to go somewhere a bit more comfortable?”

 

Jack’s eyes widened, and Gabriel felt somewhat victorious. Guess even a siren couldn’t foresee this turn of event. As if he could read the Sorcerer’s mind, Jack laughed. The same full-bodied laughter that Gabriel remembered from so long ago. Something rose within him, a warm fondness that wrapped around his entire body, pulling him towards Jack.

 

“You are truly remarkable.” The siren’s eyes shone, his smile dazzling. Gabriel chuffed. His palm turned, beckoning Jack close. The bubble expanded, pulling the pliant siren inside and into Gabriel’s arms. Gaze half-lidded, Jack purred with a smirk, “Any destination in mind? Or are you unprepared on that front too?”

 

Gabriel titled Jack’s chin up, his other hand sprayed at the small of latter’s back, “Fortunately, I do have something in mind.”

 

Leaning down, he whispered a spell into Jack’s ear, feeling every shiver with each word rumbled forth. A veil of smoke whisked them away, from the dark, cold depth of the Pacific, into a gorgeous Mediterranean midday. Gabriel braced his legs as Jack stumbled, the warm wind did not support his weight like the water did. Arching away from the Sorcerer, though his long tail still coiled around Gabriel’s lower body, Jack peered over the balcony.

 

“Ilios, hm?” He chuckled, brushing back wet hair as he shed his tail, standing before Gabriel in all his naked glory, “Interesting choice.”

 

Gabriel scoffed, avoiding looking at any body part by shucking off his jacket and slinging it over Jack’s shoulders. In this form, his silver braids turned gold, softer and more vibrant than the sunlight.

 

“Thought it was a nice touch.” He grumbled, adjusting the coat on Jack’s slightly smaller form. The siren looked at him quizzically, though there was a smile to his lips when his knuckles brushed against soft leather.

 

“It sure is.” Jack spoke softly, meaningfully, and turned away before Gabriel could respond, elbows braced against cream railing.

 

“Now, Master Reyes.” He grinned, mischievous as the heavy garment slid over his form, exposing what Gabriel tried hardest to cover, “Where would you like to start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ./sighs
> 
> There will be smut.
> 
> The quote is from "Silence of the Siren" By Franz Kafka. Very interesting read.


	4. Chapter 4

“Isn’t this technically breaking and entering already? Must you lock out whoever the owner is as well?”

Jack questioned after a few minutes watching Gabriel in growing amusement. The Sorcerer was walking around the premise, mumbling strings of warding and protection spells under his breath.

“They can suck it.” Gabriel shrugged and went on without a hitch.

Jack snickered. With his companion being occupied, the siren decided to get a better look at where Gabriel had teleported them to. It was an open flat, bright and minimally decorated. Dark wood presented a warm contrast against cream cushions. The centrepiece was a massive bed, pristine and inviting, with an organza veil fluttering above. Smirking, Jack threw himself face down onto the mattress, flailing and messing up the sheets.

“Weren’t you the one against breaking and entering?”

He snorted into the cotton comforter, “You already did the entering. So I’m doing the breaking.”

Gabriel’s chuckle sent a pleasant chill down his spine. For a while, they stayed in a comfortable silence, as if taking a moment to let reality sink in. Jack had to admit, he didn’t think it would work out this way. After returning the glasses to Winston (the pair had a link to some astronomical readings, quite fascinating if Jack had to say so himself), the siren hadn’t known what to do next. Sure, the first thought he had was to go back to Gabriel. The embrace they shared at Reinhardt’s inn left him in a rather bittersweet mood and there was just so many issues unaddressed.

But Jack was scared. The tender moment was far too uncharacteristic of Gabriel and, even though Jack knew the Sorcerer had a soft spot under all his edgy exterior, he was afraid Gabriel was only under the aftershock’s influence. Jack feared if he went back to see Gabriel, it would all return to the way it had always been. After having a taste of that sweetness, Jack didn’t think he could stand it if he was rejected once more.

So he hid away. Brooding in his cold lair. But the maze that was once his solace felt empty, and Jack scolded himself for being so pathetic. So what? Even if it did happen, he would just start over again. Just because Gabriel was too bull-headed didn’t mean Jack should just give up.

Even if his pride was wounded.

Even if he was hurt at every turn.

Even if he knew he was being desperate, clinging to a Sight that he didn’t know when would come to pass.

In the loneliness of his heart, Jack started to question himself. A cracked foundation was an open invitation to doubt. Bitterness led to anger. Anger led to depression. In all honesty, Jack wasn’t sure whether or not he was glad when Gabriel showed up. But the first few words the Sorcerer spoke truly triggered his anger, and Jack did contemplate kicking Gabriel all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

He was glad he didn’t…

In his quiet reverie, Jack didn’t notice when the bed dipped beside him. A big hand reached out, tentative, before settling atop his golden crown. Gabriel petted the siren gently, mumbling a spell under his breath to dry out the braids. Jack grinned, angling his head up to meet the Sorcerer’s palm, a contentment blossomed in his veins.

“Does this make you happy?”

There was a tone in Gabriel’s voice that Jack had never heard before. It wasn’t vulnerability, but it was an uncertain curiosity, dotted with something that he couldn’t quite place. It broke the spell.

Lifting himself up with his arms, Jack glanced back at Gabriel, trying to hide his disappointment, “Yes, but...You don’t have to force yourself into it.”

The growl that answered him was much more familiar, though Jack didn’t expect Gabriel to grab a hold of him and pulled him around. Startled blue eyes met dark brown, their chests touched with every breath they took.

“Damn it, Jack! I’m trying to have a moment with you here!” Gabriel fumed, the notion reminded the siren of a child, and his dejection quickly turned into amusement. Which edged on to become bewilderment when Gabriel sighed and leaned his forehead onto Jack’s.

“I’m not good with this shit.”

Jack could feel Gabriel’s skin creased against his, breath warm in his mumble. Heart thumping against its cage, Jack gulped. Despite his ire with this whole situation, Jack knew he wasn’t doing much better either. His fingers quivered as they were placed upon Gabriel’s chest, Jack closed in and tucked his head into the crook of Gabriel’s neck. Arms immediately came up and wrapped around him, and the siren let go of a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Jack chuckled, shaky in a tirade of emotions.

 

“We’re pretty hopeless, aren’t we?”

 

A puff of laughter brushed the crown of his head, “I suppose.”

 

Jack racked his brain, trying to find something to speak. It was ironic. Jack had never found himself at a loss for words around Gabriel and now that he had the Sorcerer right where he wanted, everything he wanted to say seemed to have been swept away into thin air. The squeeze around him reassured Jack however, that Gabriel was just as lost as he was.

 

“So...you said you had questions for me?” It came out more uncertain than the siren would have liked it. But at the same time, he just didn’t have the wits to voice it any better.

 

Gabriel made a noise in response, cleared his throat, and tried to start again, “I guess.” Jack didn’t see it, but he could feel the man’s wince, and he bit back a chuckle just to save Gabriel’s ego.

 

“I don’t know. I mean, neither of us know much about each other. Well, on a more personal level.” Gabriel amended when Jack parted from him with a raised eyebrow, “But aside from the occasional banter, we have never actually  _ talked _ . And if we want to ah...move forward from here, I believe a few conversations would be beneficial to us both.”

 

Jack tilted his head. A smile graced his lips, hearing Gabriel getting more confident as he tried to take on a more logical approach. Hand clutching at the leather coat around his frame, Jack sat up, but still kept close enough so his knee touched Gabriel’s thigh.

 

“I’m right here.” He said, and immediately knew those were the right words when Gabriel’s feature softened. The warmth in Jack’s heart expanded, and he knew his grin was becoming dopey, but the siren couldn’t bring himself to care. A twinge of colour was brought back to Gabriel’s newly ashen skin, he coughed and tried to stick with what must have been his plan.

 

“So...Is your name really Jack?”

 

The siren gawked. Gabriel stared right back, his eyes slowly grew wider and wider as he barrelled on, “Oh damn it! I didn’t mean...I mean! Jack isn’t a timeline appropriate name for you. Aren’t you older than the name itself?” Another pause, followed by another mortified stare.

 

Meanwhile, Jack was caught between getting over the jumble of words and laughing his ass off. Thankfully, he didn’t opt for the latter. Reaching out (and hoping he wasn’t pushing boundaries), Jack held firmly onto Gabriel’s curled fist.

 

“It’s fine.” He smiled, “I understand. My given name was Ioannes. Over time, it simply evolved and changed. Jack seemed appropriate for the time we met.”

 

“Greek, huh?” Gabriel grinned, ruffling up Jack’s braids on impulse, “Suits you.”

 

“You can call me that if you want.”

 

“Too much of a mouthful. Besides, Jack is technically a version of that, isn’t it?”

 

Jack chuckled, though a bit put upon that Gabriel stopped stroking his hair, “Technically. It’s a hassle trying to get most people to pronounce it correctly anyway.”

 

“I speak a bit of Greek.” Gabriel admitted, “Spent a bit of time there chasing artefacts.”

 

“Oh?” Feeling a bit bolder as their conversation was flowing more naturally, Jack inched closer, “Πρέπει να ήσουν εκεί για καιρό.”

 

Picking up the siren's tone, Gabriel smirked easily, “Ασφαλώς. Though I was a lot younger then. Naive and innocent.”

 

“ _ Innocent _ hm?” Jack leaned closer, elated that Gabriel didn’t back away, “What were you then?”

 

The Sorcerer held up his hands, his smirk carved wider, “I just started my career then. Do you know I was supposed to become an Alchemist?”

 

“Do continue.”

 

Gabriel huffed, “I failed. Spectacularly. It wasn’t that I was academically challenged. I just didn’t have much patience with all the components and the rules. Alchemy was for old scholars and disciplined youngsters. I didn’t do well with being tied to one spot. Never have been. My blood family wasn’t thrilled. It was a complicated time in history then. My father did his best to secure an apprenticeship for me. Obviously it didn’t work out as he had hoped.”

 

Jack rose an eyebrow, but he knew he shouldn’t pry further. Not just yet, at least. “How was your time in Greece?”

 

“Less productive than I had hoped.” Gabriel shrugged, then there was a spark of mischief in his eyes as he tapped under Jack’s chin, “At least there wasn’t any meddling siren around to distract me.”

 

Leaning into the touch, Jack couldn’t help but leer at him, “Oh, but a meddling siren would have made your stay  _ so much more interesting _ .”

 

At first, he thought Gabriel would recoil and went back to bristly brushing him off, just like every time things crossed a certain line. This time however, there was a pause when the Sorcerer’s eyebrows slowly crept up, before his smirk became positively  _ devilish _ . “Depends on what kind of  _ entertainment _ this certain siren would have given me.”

 

Jack wasn’t going to lie, he  _ blushed _ . And he couldn’t even get mad at how smug Gabriel looked at that instance.

 

“I’ll have you know not all of us provide this kind of entertainment you speak of!”

 

He didn’t expect Gabriel’s expression to turn fond, and the finger still on Jack’s chin fleetingly caressed his skin, “I know.”

 

Speechless, Jack couldn’t remember when his skin had ever burned so brightly. Making a guffawed noise that was unbefitting of his race, Jack lurched forward and buried his face into Gabriel’s chest. The Sorcerer’s chuckle rumbled against him as arms came up to circle Jack’s frame once more.

 

“You’ll be the death of me.”

 

“Ah, what a shame. And I was  _ just _ getting comfortable.”

 

After centuries of fruitless chasing, all of this at once was too much for Jack. He whined into Gabriel, but tightened his clutch around the man’s middle all the same. At least Gabriel had enough decency in him to stay quiet. Though a few minutes had Gabriel growing antsy, and the Sorcerer decided to shift both of them. Jack found himself seated in Gabriel’s lap and, for once, was painfully aware of how naked he was aside from the latter’s jacket. Which honestly stirred up  _ an entirely different set of issues _ . He couldn’t even bring himself to look Gabriel in the eyes.

 

For a while, Gabriel seemed content to pet Jack’s cascading hair as the siren hid his face in the Sorcerer’s neck. Knees drew together, Jack curled up, getting his heart under control.

 

“You never told me you were alone.”

 

It wasn’t a question. Jack tensed. Then a sigh left him and he nestled himself further into Gabriel, “I was being too prideful. I...didn’t want any pity.”

 

Arms tightened around him. Gabriel didn’t offer a response. In a sense, it was more comforting than anything else that could have been spoken.

 

The next question was barely above a whisper, “What killed them?”

 

“Depression.”

Sitting up, Jack rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabriel’s confused and surprised expression. Sighing once more, the siren patted his cheek, “I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but it is the truth. Our entire kind’s existence is a tragedy. Sirens are tied to omens and death. We are,  _ were _ the Muses of Persephone, the heralds of Death.”

 

There was some hesitation as the room fell into silence. This subject was more difficult than Jack had thought it would be. He had never talked about it to anyone, never thought it would ever be spoken aloud. It brought up a slew of emotions Jack didn’t particularly have the names for, much less understand. Wringing his hands together, his brows drew and his lips thinned into a tight line.

 

“I was...never close with any of my kin. So their disappearance was a bit…” Jack huffed, finding his inability to put his emotions into words annoying, “I was detached. Perhaps part of me thought if I wouldn’t think about it, it didn’t really happen and over time the importance of the events would dwindle into insignificance. I still...I still don’t think that their deaths impacted me in a personal way. Perhaps it is because I have always been an outcast. Not in a physical way per say, but it was more of a different mentality.”

 

Jack halted to a stop, eyeing Gabriel. The Sorcerer’s every ounce of attention was on him, silent out of respect and unwillingness to interrupt the siren. Gratitude filled Jack’s entire being, it paved a clearer path of confidence for him to continue and his voice finally picked up its usual melodic tone.

 

“It is ironic when you think about it. Sirens only ever craved for those who would listen to them. We were born to sing. And songs are meant to be heard. In a sense, it was both a Gift and a Curse, for our songs were not only the prophecies of one’s life, they were also the harbinger of one’s death. You know the saying of there is always some truth to myths and fairytales? Well, ours fall right into that category. People died when they hear our songs, not because we lured them to feast upon their flesh, but because they would be so enthralled, they never wanted to leave. Even as their skin and bones rotted away, even on their last breath, they listened and we sang. We sang because more than anything else, we wanted to be heard. It was an obsession, a kind of sickness that ate into my kind’s subconsciousness. We sang despite the sorrow and the tragedy that followed. We still sang even as the skies were no longer open for us, when our tales faded into obscurity.”

 

He sucked in a breath, sharp and whistling in his tune. Jack held himself, eyes narrowing at his toes as he was finding the next words, bitter and just a bit piteous, “A siren only stops singing when it is dead. And their deaths happened because they were unable to let go of their obsession.”

 

Jack finally looked up at Gabriel then, his smile faint, “My kind once weren’t the aquatic creatures you see me as. We once soared the sky and our songs could be heard in the Heavens. But we lost to the Muses, golden and joyous above the clouds. So we were laid to the sea, to roam in dark waters and beneath cold waves, where our voices echoed on and on into the abyss. Many of us could not withstand the changes. As more and more travellers were able to ignore the songs, they flung themselves into their own demise, their will shattered and their hearts withered in sorrow. The rest...well, they could not hold out for as long as they thought they could.”

 

Arms drew him impossibly closer, and Jack allowed himself the luxury of Gabriel’s warmth, “My mentality has always been somewhat different. I was among the last to be born and the first to embrace our changes. I was the first to try and settle our endless wandering. I hoped for a society and a golden palace like the Nereids, for I had a vision of weaving corridors and webbing caverns, filled with opulence and treasures since I was young. I never realised that path was meant for me alone, and I was disappointed when my pod could not resist the calling in their blood. They left half-built lairs for the glittering surface, and tried to mingle with mortals in hope of being heard again.”

 

Jack tapped the underside of Gabriel’s chin, stroking down the man’s stubbled throat, dazed in his own memories, “You see, we sea-folks have something in common. Sirens, Nereids, mers, selkies,...our tales are the sources of tragedy. But Nereids are everything beautiful and kind about the sea. Mers are wondrous illusions, flickers of hope in a raging storms. Selkies are gentle and forgiving, as they forget just like the ocean waves overlap one another. But sirens...Sirens just fade away.”

 

His chuckle bore no humour, his hand dropped onto his knees, “I used to never believe in prophecies, you know? Because my kind saw the end of them, and they foolishly rushed head-first into it. It was all a matter of choice in my opinion and I used to be much,  _ much _ angrier when one by one, those I knew never returned. If I was more honest with myself, I would have admitted I was afraid. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to escape the fate befallen my kind. I was afraid that if one day I saw a vision of my own death, I wouldn’t have the will to fight it and end up just like them. So I ended up digging myself a deeper hole, as you humans would say, and pouring all of my strength into my lair. Until I snapped out of it and realised that the endless halls and winding caverns were exactly as the vision I saw when I was young.”

 

A grin lit up his face all the sudden, and Jack looked up and saw how stressed Gabriel was looking. The unexpected expression certainly threw the Sorcerer off, and Jack couldn’t help but coughed out a laugh, even if it didn’t came off very strongly. The siren was a bit delirious, and Gabriel definitely seemed alarmed at this new development.

 

“I was  _ terrified.  _ But I was also stubborn. I stopped and I started planning it out more strategically. Perhaps it would one day be my tomb, but I could also make it to be my stronghold.” Then his gaze became softer, his hand gave Gabriel’s bicep a light squeeze, “I was so caught up in my own fears, I almost missed it when another door opened.”

 

It took a beat, but Gabriel spoke at last, his rumbles sending pleasant chills across Jack’s skin, “You didn’t see me coming.”

 

“I never did. Else I would have killed you before I even knew just how important you are.”  _ To me _ . “My Sight told me we would end up side by side. It never told me how or when. My first instinct was to fight it. I left the cave after you did, determined to turn a new page and shed the misery that shadowed my entire existence. I travelled and I met new people. All for my pride and stubbornness. I walked among the mortals, my affection free and easily won over.”

 

He smirked when a quiet but distinct growl rolled in the depth of Gabriel’s chest, “My life would not be dictated by Fate, I told myself. I denied that I was charmed by an overconfident Sorcerer. I convinced myself that I was merely shaken due to centuries of contact deprivation. That my self-imposed exile made me yearn for companionship. But I was never able to forget you, despite the touches of others. Glimpses and flashes of your future soon came, until I was unable to ignore them. So I convinced myself to create my own entertainment. To make the future work on my favours.”

 

Without warning, his confidence faltered, and Jack found himself unable to voice his thoughts once again. This time for an entirely different reason. He puffed his chest up and tried to channel his more callous side, only to have the words caught in his throat. Bravado fell, Jack was suddenly insecure, and his voice was small when he decided to go with the truth.

 

“I didn’t think I would look forward to our encounters. I didn’t think I would enjoy our banters so much. I didn't think I would eventually yearn for your presence, to actually wish for your company.”

 

Jack looked up at Gabriel, eye wide in his vulnerability, “I didn’t count on myself falling for you.”

 

Fingers curled themselves under his chin, cradling his face close. Gabriel’s forehead met his with a soft  _ thump _ , and Jack could feel Gabriel’s smile against his skin, roguish but shaky all the same.

 

“You didn’t have to tell such a tale to let me know you love me.”

 

Jack’s heart fluttered and he trembled in a way that he didn’t know whether he was going to laugh or cry. Playing it off with a grin, even though Jack knew Gabriel couldn’t see how crooked and uncertain it was, “A kiss for my troubles?”

 

The pause broke his heart and knitted it back whole again, “You deserve far more than just a kiss, starlight.”

 

Lips crashed into him, eager but gentle. It was too simple yet too much, and the feelings that blanketed Jack made him flounder. He could only hold onto Gabriel, else he would be swept away with the currents of their emotions. An invisible weight was unshackled from his chest, years of longing and pain blurred away in that single moment, when Gabriel kissed him like Jack was the only thing mattered in the world.

 

They clung together, whether out of passion or desperation Jack didn’t know. But they pushed into each other with the same enthusiasm, the same  _ need _ . Jack’s heart clawed into his chest, pulling further and further into Gabriel. Jack had always been for gentle touches and tender caresses, the tingling feeling that coiled in the pit of his stomach and made his toes curl. But Gabriel was different. Gabriel was frost and flame, lashing across Jack’s skin like wildfire and making his spine arch so wonderfully. Gabriel brewed a storm within Jack, a storm that the siren didn’t know existed. Before long, Jack was lost and Gabriel was the single rock he could cling to, to keep himself from drowning in this whirlwind of sensations. 

 

They kissed until their lungs burned for air, their lips swelled and their breaths fused. Jack sat straddled on Gabriel’s lap, his hands white-knuckled and tugging madly at the Sorcerer’s clothes. Gabriel’s chuckle was dark and thick, pooling hot liquid within’s Jack’s very core. Calloused hand stroked down Jack’s abs, leaving goosebumps in its wake. The Mediterranean’s heat clung onto Jack and he wanted so badly to feel Gabriel’s body upon his. Clumsy in his haste, Jack tried to shuck off the leather coat, only to invoke a growl in the chamber of Gabriel’s chest. Dazed, Jack found himself pinned to the bed, Gabriel looming over him with a smirk that had the siren bucking his hips up shamelessly.

 

“Keep it on.” Gabriel rumbled into Jack’s ear, nipping at the shell just enough for the siren to whine, “I want to ravish you in something that is mine. ”

 

Jack keened, thrashing under Gabriel’s weight as the latter lapped his way down his pale neck, nipping and sucking at a collarbone. Griping hands raked down Gabriel’s back, pulling at the offending piece of garment, demanding in an annoyed and aroused note. Gabriel’s chuckle rolled fire in Jack’s belly again, the Sorcerer parted from him in a swift, disappointing moment only to come back with bare chest smoothing against his own. Jack sighed, legs came up to hook themselves around Gabriel’s waist, wanting,  _ needing _ to be touched. 

 

Gabriel was slower in his advances, mapping bruises into Jack’s pale skin, his hands winded around Jack’s thighs, stroking and teasing, “And here I thought you don’t provide certain means of  _ entertainment _ . Are you sure this is what you want?”

 

And Jack heard it, underlying the light jab was the question, the fear that he didn’t want this. That he didn’t want this just as much as Gabriel did, if the heat pressed against him wasn’t of enough evident. While the saner, less lustful side of him melted at the concern, Jack couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated. Grasping at Gabriel’s face, Jack forced the man to look at him and listen to his desired-driven voice.

 

“I couldn’t care less even if you eat me right now.”

 

For a fraction of a second, there was surprise crossing Gabriel’s eyes. And then a grin, so predatory it made Jack shiver in anticipated pleasure.

 

“I will help myself then.”

 

With a yelp, Jack found himself tilted upward, his back bent and his legs over Gabriel’s shoulders. His erection bounced before Gabriel’s face, leaking in desperation. Gabriel’s laughter was dark, deep and sinful when he leered at Jack, and the siren choked out a scream as Gabriel swallowed him whole. Within seconds short, Jack was reduced to a blubbering mess, his legs flailing and then squeezing around Gabriel. Overwhelmed, Jack was helpless against the angle Gabriel had him in. Assaulted relentlessly by long sucks and swirling tongue,Jack thrashed and ruined the sheets around them. Gabriel’s mouth was hot,  _ too hot _ , as it attached to Jack’s cock like a vice, his fingers reaching down to tweak and latch onto a hardened nipple, his other hand holding down Jack’s thigh in an iron grip that would surely leave marks behind.

 

Jack was wrecked, his voice a garbled string of broken pleas and Gabriel's names. Over the millennia, Jack had taken lovers, but  _ never _ like this.  _ No-one _ had ever touched him like this,  _ no-one _ had ever made him feel like this. It was all too much, all too quick, with wet strokes of tongues and fiery touches. The keens that escaped were probably the loudest, longest and filthiest noises Jack had ever made, and he no longer had the sense in him to feel shame. He was close, so close to coming undone, when Gabriel suddenly stopped, letting Jack’s cock free with and obscene  _ pop _ . A mix of annoyance and disappointment was in Jack’s voice, as he swatted feebly at Gabriel still fully clothed leg. 

 

“What a greedy creature you are.” The Sorcerer crooned, licking a trail up Jack straining member, earning himself a gasp, “But I suppose it is just as well.”

 

A thumb found the tip of Jack’s cock, smearing pre-cum and spittle around before peeling back the foreskin, slow enough to drive Jack insane. Gabriel turned his head, nibbling at a milky inner thigh, making his merry way back towards the straining erection as Jack watched with bated breath. But instead of resuming his earlier activity, Gabriel suddenly pulled Jack up further and buried his face into Jack’s clef. A strong arm wove around Jack’s middle, holding him captive, whilst the other started pumping his member. Calloused fingers were deft in their even jerks, holding with an iron grip at the base and pulling with precise, jolting movements that had Jack  _ screaming _ . Yet that wasn’t the only thing Gabriel had in store for the siren.

 

Tongue laid flat between Jack’s cheek, Gabriel dragged a wet trail across his opening, lazy and in sync with his hand, slowly driving Jack to madness. The muscle ghosted over Jack’s clenching hole, teasing it and pushing against it, but never quite entered. Gabriel hummed, stubble prickling against Jack’s soft skin, and Jack was absolutely  _ wrecked _ , for never once in his long life had he been touched like this. 

 

“Gabe... _ Gabe! _ ” Jack sobbed, his whistling tune broken in the throes of pleasure. 

 

He couldn’t see it, but he could feel Gabriel’s grin, pressed against the uttermost private parts of his. A shot of thrill spiked through his body, having Jack arching up in a moan as the tip of Gabriel’s tongue pushed through the tight fold of his ring. Jack’s wailing came to a pitch that was impossible to hear, one hand clawed at the material of Gabriel’s pants, the other ripping at the sheets. It was difficult to focus onto anything, as Gabriel happily worked in and out of Jack. Gabriel went a little deeper every time, the tug of his hand more and more insistent on Jack’s cock, drawing out sounds that even Jack didn’t know he could make. Jack’s eyes watered when Gabriel pushed further, until his slick tongue fit snugly inside, and the scream that he made probably shattered everything made of glass in the room.

 

Jack couldn’t last after that. With a howl that was choked and almost  _ anguished _ , he exploded, shooting sticky ribbons all over Gabriel’s hand and splattered his own chest. His eyes rolled back, his muscles spazzed in the aftermath. Dazedly, Jack thought he had a stroke with how quick his heart was beating and how all his limbs numbed in short twitches. 

 

“… _ Fuck _ .” Jack wheezed, awe-struck and disorientated. Gently, Gabriel eased him down on the bed, laying Jack comfortably in his ruined coat. Hand came up to stroke his matted hair, careful as if Jack would break. It was all so light and tender, almost like a dream. Jack’s heart quivered and he nudged his face into Gabriel’s palm, dropping kissed against cool skin.

 

“Too much?” He heard Gabriel asked, and Jack blindly reached out, pulling Gabriel atop of him, heedless of the mess between them.

 

“What about you?”

 

Gabriel shifted, “Don’t worry about me.”

 

It broke Jack out of his daze. Eyes wide and challenging, he gripped Gabriel by his nape, and dragged the man down with a kiss, messy and tasted of himself.

 

“No.” Jack panted, a breath away and stubborn, “No more of this. I want you. I want  _ all of you _ , and I want you to be with me, in every sense of the way.”

 

Dark eyes bore into his, swirling with emotions unbidden that seated a deep shiver in Jack’s core, “So willingly given, I almost feel bad taking it.”

 

Jack didn’t have the time to form a question before Gabriel dove back in, stealing a gasp and grinding against the siren. Ripping away the rest of his clothes, Gabriel was finally bare, skin to skin against Jack in the delicious slips and slides of their bodies. Jack purred when he felt the length of Gabriel’s cock pressed up against his, hot and heavy as his legs were lifted once more, this time wrapped around the Sorcerer’s waist. Lips parted from his, dragging kisses and nips down his arching throat. Breathless mumbles drew goosebumps upon his skin, and then a searching finger, slick and sure, pushed inside of Jack. His knees squeezed around Gabriel’s ribs as nails scraped down his toned side, distracting him from the feeling of intrusion.

 

“You have always been so good.” Whispers fanned his blazing chest, followed by sucking kisses and a smile, “Always there to respond to me. You always respond so well. Always so good to me.”

 

His member reawakened from the touches, Jack thrusted his hips upward, desperately tried to meet Gabriel’s. Another finger joined the first, and Jack  _ sobbed _ . The pumping hastened, Jack was sure he was going mad. His mind was slipping away in throes of pleasure, and he was begging for Gabriel to be faster, to stop, for more, and just  _ please _ . He was speaking gibberish, his mind edging on insanity, and he felt like his entire body could snap at any given moment. 

 

“Please... _ Please,  _ Gabe!”

 

He begged, clawing at Gabriel’s shoulders, grinding himself into the fingers pumping inside of him. But the Sorcerer was steady in his quest, curling and scratching inside Jack, until the very tip of his nail pushed against something that made Jack see stars. The siren’s head snapped back, mouth open in a silent scream. A third finger joined the other two. Rough hand traced Jack’s jutted shaft, brushing at the sensitive skin, smearing the wetness he found there back into its yielding slit. Instinctively, Jack rutted into Gabriel’s hand, desperate to find another release.

 

A throaty, amused rumble escaped Gabriel, “Patient.” 

 

“N-no…No fair!”

Gabriel chuckled again, hand reached up to pet Jack’s braids. And yet,  _ his other hand _ didn’t cease its movements. With a will he didn’t realise he possessed, Jack pushed himself up on his elbows, and  _ glared _ .

 

Gabriel’s grin suddenly turned savage, drawing a gasp out of Jack when he pulled out his fingers. Without warning, his hardness slid snugly between Jack’s cheeks, blunt head pressed against the entrance, teasing. Aroused and frustrated, Jack squirmed, trying to push Gabriel into himself.

 

“So eager.” Gabriel commented, smirking despite Jack’s protests and then, without further ado, plunged into Jack. The siren snapped backward, his moan broken. Gabriel’s push was slow, deliberate, until he was fully sheathed within Jack. Even though the Sorcerer kept his voice restrained, Jack could feel Gabriel tremble inside him. Gabriel was glazed with a sheen of sweat, and it had Jack reaching up to clutch at thick shoulders. Yet Gabriel kept still, giving Jack the time to adjust to his girth. 

 

It was a bit too much.

 

“ _ Move _ .” Jack found himself hissing, nails digging into Gabriel in an effort to collect himself.

 

And move he did. With one hand trapped under the small of Jack’s back and the other around his shaft, Gabriel pistoled forward. The noises Jack made were unintelligible and sinful, he clung onto Gabriel with every fibre of his being. Over-sensitised and completely lost control, his entire body bounced with every thrust. Gabriel tried to keep a pace, and he made a valiant effort of it, but even in his state, Jack could tell his own magic was working. The song was primal and instinctive, coiling around the two of them and pushing them to the edge of oblivion. Sooner than late, Gabriel’s grunts were becoming animalistic, his hand tugged at Jack’s shaft with no rhythm. Lifting the siren straight off the bed, Gabriel slammed Jack against his chest and into him. In turn, Jack rode him earnestly, eyes glazed over and mouth latching onto Gabriel’s shoulder, biting down so hard it drew blood.

 

“ _ Fuck! _ ” Gabriel roared, arms crushing Jack into him, “Jack!”

 

Jack wailed, his knees slipping and his hands scrambling. His chest curved deliciously, there were stars behind his eyelids and his hips met every of Gabriel’s thrust with a snap. He wasn’t going to last long like this, with his cock trapped between their bodies and his inside filled to the brim. But he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment, surrounded by Gabriel’s heat and scent. It was all he ever wanted and more, and the taste of this reality made him tremble.

 

With a shout, Gabriel tipped over the edge first, pumping Jack with his seeds. The shock of it was enough for the siren to follow. His vision went white, his ears muffled and electricity shot through his entire being. They clung to each other, frozen in ecstasy. Jack didn’t know how long they sat there, connected in every sense of the word, and honestly he couldn’t care. 

 

Exhaustion came like a soothing wave, cooling his wired nerves and draping him over Gabriel. Jack remembered being lowered to the bed, hissing when Gabriel pulled out of him and immediately feeling around for his lover. Gabriel’s chuckle was rolling thunder to Jack’s hazy smile, resonating in his ears as Jack tucked himself against the broad chest. A content sigh escaped him, and Jack let darkness swept him away into a slumber undisturbed.

 

This. This was all that was right in the world.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel woke up with a satisfying tingle in the pit of his stomach. He stretched luxuriously, feeling like he had sleep for a decade. It had been awhile since he last felt so well-rested, and the Sorcerer couldn’t help the smirk stretching up the corners of his mouth. Jack was a solid presence by his side, skin cool against his. The siren was awake, reverent fingers drawing invisible figures on his chest, humming softly in the night. 

 

“You seem pleased.” Jack observed, a smile in his tone. Gabriel rumbled in agreement, pulling him up for a lazy kiss. The city was asleep, the silence only disturbed by an occasional distant wave. It put Gabriel at ease, a sense of peace that he couldn’t remember if he had ever felt. 

 

“How are we tonight?” He asked, playing with the soft hair at Jack’s nape. The siren shuffled, leaning on an elbow to look down at Gabriel.

 

“ _ We _ , hm?” Jack traced along Gabriel’s jawline, lips quirking upward, “We’re fine, I think.”

 

“You think?” Gabriel echoed and helped himself to another kiss. Jack chuckled into it, arm draping over him

 

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

 

They stayed like that for a while, exchanging kisses and still tangled with each other. Contentment settled deep within Gabriel’s bones, he didn’t think he had the will to get up ever again. But the aftermath of their passion still needed to be cleaned up, and there was still so much between them that needed to be worked out. For now though, the Sorcerer didn’t have the heart to bring up any conversation that could shatter this new found tranquility.

 

“I seem to recall the bathhouse here is spacious with many modern luxury.” Gabriel spoke between kisses, the now familiar heat coiling low within him. Jack’s smirk was devilish as he threw himself over Gabriel, straddling toned hips.

 

“Won’t you show me then?”

 

Who was Gabriel to deny such a creature? 

 

His memory was hazy on how they made it inside the bathroom. Water steamed from the spacious tub, carved straight out of an onyx boulder, filling them with heat as they recreated their earlier activities. It was lazier this time, with them sitting half-submerged and Jack pleasantly tight around him.

 

“We gotta do this in your other form one day.” Gabriel panted into Jack’s mouth, earning himself a giddy laughter.

 

“Making love amidst the sea, under the starlight and the moon, with the waves lapping around us.”

 

He could almost see it in the way Jack sung. Fluttering fins around their bodies, whipping tail struggling to keep them both afloat as Jack was driven to his peak. The siren’s body was yielding in his arms, his moans were music resonated within marbled walls. Gabriel lost count of how many times they came, but he certainly could count the marks he had sucked into pale skin, branding Jack his. 

 

The tiles were flooded when they finally climbed out, sated to the core and wobbly with satisfaction. The sky was a breath-taking purple veil, as dawn spreaded its blushing fingers across the horizon. They watched the sunrise together, high on each other and as if this was something they did every day. 

 

Alas, a settled life was too much of a grandeur, and Gabriel shook himself out of the illusion as the city stirred awake.

 

“We should get some breakfast.” He suggested, fingers splaying over Jack’s smooth abdomen. The siren stretched like a cat, seated so perfectly in Gabriel’s lap the latter regretted saying anything the moment Jack stood.

 

“Alright? Where to?” He smiled down at Gabriel, golden like a dream under the morning sun. The Sorcerer rose with him, stealing a kiss as he ripped his eyes away from Jack’s naked figure. Throwing on his scattered clothes from the night before, Gabriel ignored Jack’s disappointed huff.

 

“Not like that you won’t. As much as I enjoy feeling your skin, I don’t believe I’d like others seeing you like this.”

 

“Oh? Possessive, aren’t we?” 

 

Jack smirked as Gabriel cleaned up the soiling on his coat with a spell. Slinging the garment over his siren, the Sorcerer grinned, taking Jack’s breath away, “You have no idea.”

 

“I believe I do.” Jack tilted his neck, long finger teased over a bite mark. Gabriel gave him a flat stare, before leaning over and sucked at the same spot, drawing out a yelp.

 

“Keep that up, and you might have to stay in bed for a week.”

 

Flustered but still challenging, Jack jutted out his plush bottom lip, leering up under his lashes, “What if I want to stay in bed for a week?”

 

Gabriel’s chuckle was dark, his hand groping Jack’s bottom through the coat, hitching the siren closer, “Then trust me, starlight, I’d make you sing. But first.” He pushed Jack away, pupil-blown and all, and buttoned up the trenchcoat, “Let’s get you properly dressed. And breakfast, if you behave.”

 

Fuming, Jack blew a wayward strand of hair away, “Fine. But it’d better be worth it.”

 

“Don’t you trust me?”

 

Without hesitation, “Of course I do.” 

 

Gabriel grinned, pulling Jack flat against him once more. A few choice words brought them to an alley, paved with aged stones and sleepy in the darkness. Jack hissed when his barefeet touched the ground, and made a surprised noise when Gabriel picked him up. After their endeavours, the Sorcerer doubted Jack could walk, much less keeping up with his pace. At least the siren was content like this, perhaps a bit  _ too content _ , if his trailing kisses were of any confirmation. 

 

Gabriel dashed in the early light, until he came to purple wooden door under an arc of ivy. The door knocker was an interesting shape of a spider, and Gabriel tapped it, three precise times. Quiet seconds followed, before it opened, showing them a long hallway. Gabriel carefully let Jack down then, onto spotless wooden floor, and led the siren into through a door on the left. There was not a person inside the grande room, dimly lit and lined with crimson velvet couches, its walls a sharp royal purple. It almost looked like a dance studio, with how empty and crisp the room was, save for the lack of mirrors and bars.

 

Playfulness evaporated from Jack’s bright eyes as he gripped onto Gabriel’s hand, surveying the place cautiously.

 

“Μυρίζει θανατίλα εδώ μέσα." He told Gabriel.  _ It smells like death in here _ .

 

"Θα είναι η σύζυγος μου, συγνώμη για την απουσία της, αλλά δεν έχει καλή σχέση με τα πρωινά." A voice answered in perfect Greek, his accent faint.

 

Jack jumped, teeth baring and was about to let loose a screech that could strip the flesh off of any attacker’s bones. But Gabriel squeezed at his fingers, and pushed the siren behind his back.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Lacroix.”

 

A figure seemingly stepped out from a wall, a charming smile playing on a handsome visage, “Please, how many times must I tell you. Call me Gérard. And who is your beautiful companion here?”

 

Gabriel ignored the question, “My partner and I are going to be travelling for a while. As you can see, he is not adequately dressed. Can you provide him with something comfortable for the road?”

 

With a snap of his fingers, Gérard called forth a tape measurer out of thin air, “But of course, Gabriel.” His accent was more stilted in English, rolling with more flourish on the Sorcerer’s name, “May I take some of his measurements first?”

 

Nodding at Jack for reassurance, Gabriel helped the siren out of his coat and stepped aside, though still looming over them as Gérard weaved the tape around Jack’s body with magic. The siren was completely distrustful of this, his eyes narrowed and watched Gérard’s every move. If the mysterious tailor noticed anything, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, his voice was airy towards Gabriel.

 

“I must say, it is a shock seeing you with someone, Gabriel. A partner, nonetheless. Is this the result of your scuffle with Miss Ziegler, I wonder?”

 

“I wasn’t aware your payment includes chit-chat, Mr. Lacroix.”

 

A faint smirk graced Gérard’s thin lips, “But of course, Gabriel. But you cannot blame a man for being curious. Showing up with such a beautiful companion,  _ oh lala. _ ”

 

The glare Gabriel shot him was steel and death, but Gérard merely chuckled at him. No other attempt at a conversation was made after however, and the tailor retreated back to his wall once all measurements were taken. As soon as Gérard was out of sight, Gabriel stepped over to Jack and pulled the siren under his coat, flat against his body. Jack raised an eyebrow at him.

 

“What was that about? Who is that man?”

 

“A contractor.” Gabriel answered curtly, scowling at the wall where Gérard disappeared, “He is the best in the business, especially when you need something done quickly.”

 

“You don’t seem awfully fond of him.”

 

“I’m not _ awfully fond _ of anyone.”

 

There was a mischievous spark in Jack’s eyes, “Except for me.”

 

Gabriel’s gaze softened, “Except for you.”

 

They stood waiting. Despite the couches seemed almost innocently inviting, Gabriel refused to sit down. As opposed to Illos, the silence here was cold, threatening almost, and the Sorcerer didn’t let go of Jack for one second either. Gérard Lacroix came back exactly an hour later, when Jack just began to doze off against Gabriel, with a set of clothing befitting for a model. Gray pants, combat boots, a sheepskin short coat that was a startling blue on the outside and fuzzy creme on the inside, large collar that framed Jack’s cut chest perfectly, and a black turtleneck that clung to him like a second skin. Gérard might not be Gabriel’s most favourite person in this world or next, but he sure as hell had an eye for fashion. The tailor helped dressing Jack up, even pulling his braids back into a tasteful half ponytail, showing off his sharp cheeks and piercing eyes. 

 

Standing back to admire his own handiwork, Gérard snapped his fingers and a mirror conjured up on the wall, letting Jack have a good look of himself. 

 

“Thank you.” It came out a lot more genuine than Gabriel would have liked, as he dropped a pouch of rubies into the tailor’s waiting hand. 

 

“No matter.” Gérard gave him a flourish bow, “I do wish you had given me some warnings however. It isn’t every day that I got to complement such a beauty with my skills.”

 

Gabriel didn’t say anything, but he had to agree upon looking at Jack. The siren was spinning around and staring at himself in awe. Gabriel wouldn’t be surprised if this was the first time Jack had been dressed up properly for a long time. The siren was gorgeous, fresh and sunny in contrast of this room.

 

“Before you go, however.” Gérard spoke, drawing Gabriel’s attention to him once more, “You might want to cover up a little.”

 

It was finally then did Gabriel had a look at himself. Gérard was right. Ashen skin would draw too much attention, and with his current reputation, maybe it would be best to blend in with the rest of the crowd. A quick spell cast a glamour on him, turning his skin back to its former shade of healthy brown. 

 

“Also.” Gérard’s voice took a cheery tone that instantly alarmed Gabriel, “Perhaps you would want a snack for the way.”

 

A package of baking paper floated towards him, warm in Gabriel’s hands as he caught it mid-air, “What is this?”

 

“Croissant. My lovely darling baked them last night.” Gérard grinned, then with a final nod at the two of them, “It is always so nice to have you visit. Do come again. Next time, I’ll be sure to introduce your partner to my Amelie. Adieu, gentlemen.”

 

And with it, Gérard Lacroix faded back into the wallpaper.

 

The first thing Gabriel did once they were outside was to toss the package into a bin. Jack made a protesting noise, “I thought you wanted breakfast!”

 

“Yes, but I don’t take sweets from devils.”

 

There was no protest after. Jack linked arm with his as they strode down a waking Paris. The sounds of the city filled the air, along with the smells of buttery pastries and coffee. 

 

“The city of Love, hm? Never knew you were such a romantic.”

 

“Well, mon cher, there are a lot of thing you don’t know about me.”

 

Jack’s grin was bright, “And I’d like to start.”

 

They picked out a small cafe, tucked in a small street under a hanging garden. Gabriel got himself black coffee and a platter, whilst Jack was taking his time going down the menu before settling for juice and a fruit salad. For a moment there, as they sat waiting for their orders, legs intertwined under the table, it was so easy to pretend they were just a normal couple. No magic, no trouble past. Just two people in love, enjoying each other’s company.

 

“Something in your mind?” 

 

Jack was always sharp in reading his emotions. Perhaps that was why Gabriel had so vehemently pushed the siren away. Being read was a weakness he couldn’t afford and having someone so close was out of the question. Even if he knew Jack was perfectly capable of defending himself, part of Gabriel didn’t want to take that risk. To feel happiness and having it ripped away from him was a pain Gabriel never wanted to go through again. He had tasted that bitterness enough to know if happened again, it would tear not just his heart, but his mind apart.

 

So he sought Jack’s hand upon the table, cool and smooth in his grasp. Long fingers wrapped around Gabriel’s, blue eyes searching. The Sorcerer huffed out something that was caught between a sigh and a chuckle.

 

“What now?”

 

Jack raised a perfect eyebrow, “I’m afraid the subject is too broad.”

 

Damn him and his witty tongue. “I want to go back to what I was...what I have been doing. But there has been no purpose behind what I do, other than to fill my time with something that would give me a thrill. Angela Ziegler is no more, and I am freed from her contract. I can’t go back,  _ we _ can’t go back to where we have been, not everything that happened. But if I stop all that I have been doing, then what am I? I would be without purpose, without a goal. I…”

 

_ I can’t subject you to a life like that _ .

 

His voice faded into silence, jaws set as if he was going to an argument. And Jack watched him, with eyes as old as the world. Gabriel suddenly felt small, when Jack brought both hands up to hold his one.

 

“May I suggest something a bit wild?”

 

Running a hand through his cropped scalp, Gabriel rumbled for Jack to continue. The siren’s smile was gentle, but held the warmth of the sun itself.

 

“We live.” And he continued, when Gabriel narrowed his eyes in confusion, “Think about it, Gabe. We have spent so much time caught up in our own world, following our own routine, we forgot the world around us moves on. We thought of nothing but ourselves and our anguish, letting doubts and fears dictate our moves. But things change. And I’d like to think that we have changed too, even just a little. It is about time that we move on with the world. Live a little. Experience life in aspects that we have never experienced before.”

 

The waitress came then with their orders, interrupting the conversation and saving Gabriel from having to answer. Jack seemed content with his colourful salad bowl and watching people off to a normal Tuesday morning, but the tight line of his shoulders told otherwise. Gabriel poked the yolk of his egg, pouring gold across his plate. 

 

It was a lot to think about. Simple as it might sound.

 

But the small cafe slowly crowded, just as more people passed them in a hurry with their life. Neither of their breakfasts was touched, Gabriel’s coffee cooling next to the melted ice in Jack’s tall glass of juice.

 

“What would you like to do then?”

 

The words brought the siren out of his own reverie, a brilliant smile blooming across his lips that left Gabriel’s chest just a bit warmer, “I want to live on a farm.”

 

Eyebrows crept up incredulously, “A farm?” 

 

Jack was thoughtful, “Perhaps not  _ living _ there. Maybe just an experience. I have never stayed inland for too long, and I’d like to see how people so far away from the sea live. I also missed a lot of music over the years. I heard glimpses of them when we were in the New World. It has all changed so much from the instruments and opera.”

 

Gabriel cringed a little, imagining introducing Jack to dubstep, “It sure has.”

 

“What about you?” Those eyes were on him again, gentle but firm, “What would you like to do, besides stealing artefacts and breaking sirens’ hearts?”

 

It drew a chuckle out of Gabriel, “Ah, but I don’t think going back to those old ways would be wise, especially now I hold a heart so precious.”

 

A blush dusted Jack’s cheeks, and Gabriel was surprised at how cheesy he sounded. Brushing it off with another laughter, the Sorcerer looked away, digging back to his far-off memories, “You know, I always wanted to learn an instrument when I was a kid.”

 

Jack’s eyes sparkled, long fingers threaded with Gabriel’s calloused ones, “Perhaps it is time to fulfill this childhood desire?”

 

Grinning, Gabriel shared a kiss with him over their table, a deep seated happiness bloomed from their touch, weaving tightly around them like an indestructible cocoon, “Perhaps today is the day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And TADA!!!
> 
> It's a bit ambiguous I'd say. Just because they fell in love, doesn't mean their problems all fade away. But for now, at least they have each other.
> 
> Greek translation (thank you mum ; w;):
> 
> Πρέπει να ήσουν εκεί για καιρό: You must have stayed there for a while.
> 
> Ασφαλώς: Indeed.
> 
> Μυρίζει θανατίλα εδώ μέσα.: It smells like death in here.
> 
> Θα είναι η σύζυγος μου, συγνώμη για την απουσία της, αλλά δεν έχει καλή σχέση με τα πρωινά.: Must be my wife. Pardon her absence, but she isn't quite a morning person. (I was told that this is the closest translation to what I have in mind in English.)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this strange, crazy and stupidly long journey :)

**Author's Note:**

> Visit my tumblr for more Blizz trash: [Nei Karasu](http://neikarasu.tumblr.com/)
> 
> ./goes cry in a corner


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